Czech highly values its ties with China and is willing to foster stable, long-term and cooperative relations on the basis of equality, mutual respect and mutual benefit, Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek said in Prague on the eve of his upcoming visit to China scheduled for this weekend.  

In a recent interview with Xinhua, Paroubek said China is one of Czech's most important partners in Asia and he believes that there is nothing in the way of the development of bilateral relations.

Sharing traditional friendship, Czech and China were among the earliest to recognize each other and establish diplomatic relations with each other, the prime minister said.

The purpose of the prime minister's visit is to show that even though they have different political systems and different views on many issues, the two countries have the common wish to develop political relations and to carry out frank dialogues, the prime minister said.

On trade and economic relations, Paroubek said China is an important trading partner for Czech.

The prime minister said his country will continue to boost traditional exports like machinery to China while seeking breakthroughs in bilateral cooperation in the fields of information, telecommunications, environmental protection, and medical technologies.

Czech's entry into the EU has added new impetus for the country's trade relations with China, he said, encouraging companies in both countries to further expand cooperation.

Apart from political and trade cooperation, Czech is willing to discuss cooperation with China in culture, science and technology, education, and tourism, the prime minister said.

He said Czech is rich in tourism resources and has huge potential for cooperation with China in this field. The prime minister said he would welcome a direct flight course from Beijing to Prague.

On China's role in the international community, the prime minister said China's importance in international politics lies not only in the fact that China is a permanent member of the UN Security Council, but also because China upholds the principle of peace in foreign policies.

The rapid development of China's economy and the achievements China has made in bilateral and multilateral cooperation in trade and investment have laid the foundation for China's important role in the international arena, Paroubek said.

(Xinhua News Agency June 24, 2005)