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The Diplomat
3 days ago
- Business
- The Diplomat
Polling Shows Central Europeans Remain Skeptical of China
A look into public opinion results provides an interesting complement to government-level dynamics in four nations' respective bilateral relations with Beijing. The countries of the Visegrad Four (V4) – Czechia, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia – have had divergent trajectories in their relations with Beijing over the past decade. In Czechia, the honeymoon period of relations under the leadership of Czech Social Democrats and President Milos Zeman in the mid-2010s gave way to a rift in the relationship, marked by scandals related to China's interference, unmet economic promises and Czech active engagement in developing ties with Taiwan. Meanwhile, Hungary has doubled down on the China-friendly course under Prime Minister Viktor Orban, making Hungary the leading recipient of Chinese investment in Europe for the past two consecutive years. Slovakia, under Prime Minister Robert Fico since 2023, seems to have tried to emulate Orbán's apparent success in courting Chinese investment by leaning closer to China on political issues, inking a strategic partnership with Beijing last year. Poland has charted a largely pragmatic course on China, irrespective of the government in power. A look into public opinion results, based on the recent large-scale polling by Central European Institute of Asian Studies, provides an interesting complement to government-level dynamics in the respective bilateral relations with Beijing. Overall, Central Europeans remain skeptical of China. The Czechs are the most negative, with 59.3 percent of respondents viewing China unfavorably and only 20.8 percent favorably. Hungarians, despite the cozy relationship of the Orban government with Beijing, are also largely negative toward China, together with the Poles. While Slovaks are overall also negative toward China, they have the highest proportion of positive views of China in the V4, at 33.6 percent, and the lowest share of negative views, at 39.3 percent. A deeper dive into perceptions of China by political preference provides another layer to the picture. In Hungary, there is a large gulf in perceptions of China between the supporters of the governing Fidesz party and its leading opponent, Tisza. Among supporters of Fidesz, China is viewed positively by 47.5 percent respondents and negatively by 27.8 percent, while for Tisza, it is 24.6 percent and 58.1 percent percent, respectively (the rest expressed neutral views). Similarly polarized views can be seen in Slovakia, with striking differences in perceptions of China between the supporters of the ruling Smer-SD party and the leading Progressive Slovakia opposition party. Meanwhile, while China is seen relatively more positively by the voters of ANO in Czechia – as opposed to the voters of the current China-skeptical coalition led by Spolu since 2021 – negative views of China still dominate even among ANO voters. Finally, in Poland, views of China are comparatively less polarized between KO, the leading party of the current coalition, and PiS, the major opposition party, which is mirrored in the relative continuity of Warsaw's China policy. The overall picture shows that conservative voters tend to view China more positively than liberals in Central Europe – an interesting difference when compared to the United States. Meanwhile, negative views of China are more prevalent among the more educated groups of the population. Among the different age groups, the picture is not homogeneous across the V4. While in Czechia and Hungary, the youngest people, aged 18-24, have the most negative view of China, it is the opposite in Slovakia and Poland. While we cannot assume a direct relationship between the views of the voter base and political parties' actual policies, the results do offer some hints about what we could expect should the governments change. Czechia is going into elections this October and Andrej Babis' ANO looks poised to form a new government. The negative perception of China among ANO voters does not imply that the new government would have the political capital to return to the honeymoon era of relations a decade ago. This does not preclude, however, a more 'pragmatic' approach to China, which ANO has been talking about in the opposition. Hungary will hold elections next year, and Orban's power seems to be, for the first time, in real jeopardy. Tisza has been outperforming Fidesz in the polls, threatening Orban's hold on power. If there is indeed a change in the government, Budapest's alignment with China may be under threat. Fidesz's association with China, and the related issues that have sparked local controversy, might be partly to blame. The polling shows that Hungarians have the most negative perceptions of Chinese investments in the V4, despite, or perhaps because Hungary hosts the largest amount of Chinese capital in the region. Moreover, 58.4 percent of Hungarians agree that Chinese investment brings environmental problems to the country, while 56.3 percent see Chinese investment as increasing corruption in Hungary. The polling thus shows the need to look beyond official policies to understand the dynamics of relations with China and anticipate potential recalibrations on the horizon.
Straits Times
17-07-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Czech-arranged ammunition shipments to Ukraine are increasing, says government
Find out what's new on ST website and app. FILE PHOTO: A Ukrainian serviceman stands next to artillery shells at his position in a front line, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in an undisclosed location in Southern Ukraine October 25, 2024. REUTERS/Ivan Antypenko/File Photo PRAGUE - Czech-arranged shipments of artillery ammunition to Ukraine are rising this year, proving partners' trust in a government programme matching donations from NATO partners with offers to sell ammunition, the Czech Defence Ministry said on Thursday. As Ukraine suffered from shortage of ammunition last year, the Czechs set up a team which has together with private companies searched for available ammunition stocks and new production around the world. The available ammunition batches are being offered to donor countries, which then pick which they want to finance. The programme, which makes use of the Czechs' traditional arms trading contacts, has been a flagship of the centre-right government's international efforts to help Ukraine fight Russia's aggression. It has also donated heavy equipment and other material worth hundreds of millions of euros. Director Ales Vytecka of the defence ministry's AMOS international cooperation agency said that so far this year, shipments totalled 850,000 shells, including 320,000 NATO artillery 155mm calibre projectiles. This compares with 1.5 million total, including 500,000 155-mm shells, throughout 2024. Andrej Babis, head of the Czech opposition ANO party that leads opinion polls ahead of an election in October, vowed to scrap the initiative if ANO returns to power, saying in a Reuters interview this week the programme was overpriced and untransparent. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Driverless bus in Sentosa gets green light to run without safety officer in first for S'pore Singapore Fatal abuse of Myanmar maid in Bishan: Traffic Police officer sentenced to 10 years' jail Singapore Man charged over manufacturing DIY Kpods at Yishun home; first such case in Singapore World US strikes destroyed only one of three Iranian nuclear sites, says new report Business 5 things to know about Kuok Hui Kwong, tycoon Robert Kuok's daughter and Shangri-La Asia head honcho Singapore Premium China carmaker Hongqi, known for Xi Jinping's limos, to launch in Singapore in 2026 Singapore Sex first, then you can sell my flat: Women property agents fend off indecent proposals and harassment Opinion Grab tried to disrupt taxis. It now wants to save them Vytecka rejected criticism of drive, saying there was as much transparency as security concerns allowed. "Clear and undeniable proof of the satisfaction of our partners is the fact that in 2025 donors' contributions have significantly risen," Vytecka said. So far this year, contributions have risen by 29% compared with the whole of 2024, he said without giving concrete sums, adding that countries raising their contributions included Canada, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Netherlands and Denmark. He said donor countries always decided themselves which supplies and at what prices they would finance, and the offers were subject to audits in individual donor countries. The Czechs have mostly acted as an intermediary. The government said last year it allocated around 35 million euros for ammunition purchases from a Czech supplier. REUTERS
Euractiv
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Euractiv
Tokyo-born Czech nationalist revives Czexit ahead of national election
PRAGUE – Tomio Okamura, the Tokyo-born leader of Czechia's far-right Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) party, is making a political comeback before the October general election – and bringing the idea of a Czech EU exit back with him. Okamura has built a political career on hard-line nationalist positions, including proposals to ban the promotion of Islam , a strict anti-immigration agenda , and increasingly vocal criticism of Ukraine and the presence of Ukrainian refugees in Czechia. He has dismissed the EU's Green Deal as a ' crazy neo-Marxist plan ' and his party, SPD, continues to demand referendums on Czech membership in both the EU and NATO – ideas firmly rejected by mainstream parties. His position on a potential EU referendum is clear: "I would vote for the Czech Republic to leave the EU," he said . A recent STEM poll for CNN Prima News places SPD at 13%, third behind the populist ANO (32%) and the centre-right Spolu (21%). The rebound follows SPD's strategic merger with three smaller nationalist groups, forming a more unified anti-EU front. Okamura's nationalism stands in sharp contrast with his own personal biography . Born to a Czech mother and a Japanese-Korean father, he spent part of his childhood in Tokyo before moving to Prague. Before entering politics, he ran a series of tourism-related businesses and was a partner in a now-bankrupt travel agency, which let customers send toys abroad to be photographed in popular tourist locations . He later became vice-president and spokesperson for the Association of Czech Travel Agencies. In 2008, he was even appointed Czech ambassador for the EU's European Year of Intercultural Dialogue. SPD is his second political project, following a bitter split from his previous party, Dawn of Direct Democracy, in 2015. Among Okamura's fiercest critics are members of his own family. His older brother, Hayato Okamura, is an MP for the pro-EU Christian Democrats and accuses his brother of 'objectively supporting the Kremlin.' The youngest sibling, architect Osamu Okamura, ran for the Greens in the 2024 European elections, vowing to 'strengthen active EU membership.' Although the brothers have refrained from personal attacks in public, their ideological divisions are profound. In 2024, Hayato apologised in parliament for what he described as his brother's 'Ukrainophobia." Okamura has also been entangled in multiple legal disputes, mainly with media outlets and NGOs over alleged defamation – most of which he has lost. In early 2025, he was stripped of parliamentary immunity to face potential criminal charges related to an allegedly racially charged campaign in the 2024 European elections. Okamura is unlikely to achieve his long-held goal of taking Czechia out of the EU anytime soon. The populist party ANO, the frontrunner, shows no interest in Czexit, and the current centre-right government remains firmly pro-European. But with several smaller factions hovering near the 5% threshold to enter parliament, the SPD could emerge as ANO's only viable coalition ally, giving Okamura leverage to pull Czech politics further toward the nationalist, anti-EU fringe. (de, mm)
Arab Times
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Arab Times
Czech coalition government survives no-confidence vote over bitcoin scandal
PRAGUE, June 19, (AP): The Czech government survived a parliamentary no-confidence vote called by the main opposition party on Wednesday over a bitcoin-related scandal. Only 94 opposition lawmakers in the 200-seat lower house of Parliament voted in favor of dismissing the four-party coalition led by conservative Prime Minister Petr Fiala. At least 101 votes were needed to oust the government at the end of a two-day debate. The main opposition centrist ANO (YES) movement led by populist billionaire Andrej Babiš requested the vote after the Justice Ministry accepted a donation of bitcoins and sold them for almost 1 billion Czech koruna ($47 million) earlier this year. Justice Minister Pavel Blažek resigned from his post over the issue on May 30 and was replaced by Eva Decroix on June 10. Blažek said he wasn't aware of any wrongdoing, but didn't want the coalition to be harmed by the scandal. Fiala said he believed Blažek acted with goodwill. Decroix said she will order an independent probe into the ministry's activities in the case. The scandal focuses on the fact that the bitcoins were donated to the ministry by a person who was previously convicted of drug dealing and other crimes, while it was not clear why he did it. The opposition has accused Blažek of possible money laundering, because it wasn't clear where the bitcoins originated, and demanded the resignation of the entire government. The issue is being investigated by the national police's organized crime unit. It was the fourth no-confidence motion since the government took over after a 2021 election. The scandal comes just months before the Oct. 3-4 parliamentary election. Babiš and his movement are predicted to win the vote.
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Czech government survives no-confidence motion over bitcoin scandal
PRAGUE (Reuters) -The Czech centre-right government on Wednesday survived a vote of no confidence, called after the acceptance of a payment to the state by an ex-convict worth $45 million in bitcoin sparked controversy within the ruling coalition months before an election. The biggest opposition party, ANO, which leads opinion polls ahead of an October 3-4 election, had filed a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Petr Fiala's government, accusing it of helping the former cybercriminal legitimise his bitcoin holdings of potentially illegal origin. The motion failed after two days of debate in the lower house, where Fiala's ruling coalition led by his Civic Democrats Party, holds a majority. Political veteran Pavel Blazek, from Fiala's party, resigned as justice minister on May 31 for accepting the payment on behalf of the state, though he denied doing anything illegal. Fiala has called accepting the gift a political and ethical mistake. The man who made the donation of 468 bitcoins to the state was in jail from 2017 until 2021 after being convicted of involvement in the drug trade, fraud and illegal possession of weapons for running an illegal drug market on the internet called Sheep Marketplace. Blazek has faced criticism for possibly legitimising the ex-convict's assets, instead of turning to prosecutors or police to help secure them. The gift, Blazek has said, was agreed to be 30% of bitcoins found in a wallet on computers returned to the ex-convict by courts earlier this year. It was not clear what was the ex-convict's motivation to make the donation.
