Czech-Chinese Ties Are Affected As Prague Stands Up To Beijing
On a typical day, Prague's City Hall is buzzing with discussions about contracts to upgrade the centuries-old city's network of cobblestone streets or sewers. But this month, assembly members have been debating a bigger topic — China, and what to do about it.
"This is clearly a topic for our Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and a complicated one at that," city assembly member Patrik Nacher lectures Prague Mayor Zdenek Hrib during open debate. "And here you are, pulling Prague into a matter of such importance."
Hrib looks off into the distance with a stone face, not bothering to respond. For months, the 38-year-old mayor has been at the center of a controversy involving his city, Beijing and the Communist Party of China.
Back in 2016, a month before , Prague's previous administration approved a sister-city relationship with Beijing. It included a provision to adhere to the "One China" policy, Beijing's insistence that Taiwan — with its own democratically elected government — is part of China.
