BEIJING, Oct. 31,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- On Thursday, Robert Fico,
prime minister of the Slovak Republic, arrived in Beijing to start a six-day official visit to
China. Before his departure, he
stated that this is the "most important trip" he will make in 2024
and noted that "China is becoming
a decisive global player." The delegation includes several
ministers and 80 business representatives, highlighting
Slovakia's urgent desire to
upgrade cooperation with China on
all fronts. Coming at a time when the European Commission announced
the final ruling on the anti-subsidy investigation into
China-made electric vehicles,
Fico's visit to China highlights
the positive aspects of China-Europe
relations.
Slovakia was one of the first
countries to recognize New China, and the two nations enjoy
profound traditional friendship. Fico, who has served as prime
minister four times, has always attached great importance to
developing relations with China.
In 2007, he visited China in his
first year as prime minister.
This year marks the 75th anniversary of China-Slovakia diplomatic relations. Fico's visit
continues this friendship and is expected to inject new momentum
into China-Slovakia and China-Europe
relations.
China is Slovakia's largest trading partner outside the
EU, and Slovakia, as one of the
first European countries to join the Belt and Road Initiative,
enjoys a prime geographic location as an inland hub for three major
transport corridors connecting Europe and China. With the automotive industry as a
pillar of its economy - accounting for nearly half of Slovakia's total industrial sales -
Slovakia is keen to adopt advanced
technology to produce electric vehicles.
Additionally, Slovakia has
substantial needs for improving and building transportation
infrastructure. Therefore, fostering friendly relations and further
deepening cooperation is a natural, mutually beneficial goal with
strong intrinsic motivation for both sides.
Fico's visit to China is an
epitome of the high-level exchanges and practical cooperation
between China and the EU. Since
the beginning of the year, European leaders and cabinet ministers
have visited China in succession,
from Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De
Croo, German Chancellor Olaf
Scholz, French President Emmanuel
Macron, Polish President Andrzej
Duda, to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, UK Foreign Secretary
David Lammy and Finnish President
Alexander Stubb. Fico's visit
continues this trend.
The frequent high-level interactions demonstrate an increasing
demand for cooperation and the desire to build trust and dispel
doubts through communication - this is the essence of China-Europe
relations.
Since coming to power, Slovakia's new government has firmly promoted
broad, mutually beneficial cooperation with non-Western countries,
including China.
The concepts of equality, mutual benefit, and win-win
cooperation advocated by China
have resonated within Europe,
which has allowed China and
Slovakia to establish mutual trust
on a deeper level.
In recent years, many Central and Eastern European Countries
have led the EU in levels of cooperation with China, with countries like Hungary and Slovakia emerging as key forces in advocating
for independent EU diplomacy and economic policy. This is not a
coincidence.
Central and Eastern Europe is
the connecting zone between the dynamic East Asian economic circle
and the developed Western European economies, and it is a key
region integrating multiple roles such as hub and transit area.
Today, the number of China-Europe
freight trains passing through Slovakia continues to grow, symbolizing the
fruitful cooperation between China
and Slovakia and injecting impetus
into the ever-closer China-EU relations.
During this visit, Fico is scheduled to tour China's lithium battery manufacturer Gotion
High-tech Co, which plans to build an EV battery factory in
collaboration with local manufacturers in Slovakia.
As a traditional assembly center for European brands like
Volkswagen and BMW, Slovakia's
open cooperation with Chinese companies reflects the aspect of
European nations to uphold market principles and embrace market
competition.
With China-Slovakia economic, trade, and people exchanges
entering the fast lane, it is expected that the potential and
advantages of China-CEE cooperation will be further explored.
Prime Minister Fico's visit will provide references for
China and Europe to seek the greatest common denominator
for win-win cooperation.
China and Europe share a broad foundation and demand for
cooperation in areas such as trade, investment, and global
governance, where consensus outweighs differences and collaboration
exceeds competition.
Against a backdrop of economic globalization encountering
headwinds and rising international instability, China and Europe should strengthen communication and
cooperation to jointly address global challenges.
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SOURCE Global Times