China and Slovakia said on Friday (1 November) they would boost trade and investment ties and spoke of the need for peace in Ukraine during a visit to Beijing by Prime Minister Robert Fico to launch a new strategic partnership.
Chinese President Xi Jinping said he would encourage “powerful” Chinese enterprises to invest in Slovakia, and he invited Slovak firms to explore China’s market.
Under Fico, Slovakia has been keen to build closer bilateral and economic ties and alliances with non-European Union countries, including China, its biggest trading partner outside of the 27-state bloc, as well as Russia.
Xi said China would strengthen cooperation with Slovakia in areas such as new energy, transport and logistics as well as infrastructure construction, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
Both sides agreed to deepen cooperation across green development sectors and explore opportunities in green technology, a joint statement said.
Fico said the visit was Slovakia’s largest-ever delegation of political and business officials to a country, showing the government’s commitment to relations with Beijing.
Ahead of his trip, Fico had described the visit as “crucial” following a decision by the European Commission, which oversees European Union trade policy, to impose tariffs on China-made electric vehicles.
Slovakia was one of five EU countries that opposed the tariffs, counting on Chinese investment to help build an EV battery plant.
Chinese lithium battery manufacturer Gotion High Tech and Slovak partner InoBat have invested 1.2 billion euros in the plant, as Slovakia’s auto industry goes electric.
Slovakia, which produces Volkswagen models for export, is also cautious about getting caught in potential counter-tariffs after the EU’s decision on China-made EVs. Beijing has dropped hints it might impose levies on EU large-engined gasoline vehicles.
Commenting on the war in Ukraine, with which Slovakia shares a border, Xi said China welcomed combined efforts to promote peace talks.
Fico said on Facebook after meeting Xi that China could play a “decisive role” regarding the Ukraine conflict. Like Hungarian leader Viktor Orban, Fico has criticised EU policies on Ukraine and has opposed sanctions on Russia.
The joint statement said the two sides believed cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European countries is a “useful complement” to China-EU relations.
