The recent visit of Dalai Lama in the Czech Republic has stirred debate about the real impact that trade with China has on the Czech economy. The server idnes.cz writes that trade activity has slowed in 2016, as have Chinese investment plans into local businesses. Czech president Miloš Zeman insists that the total volume of investment reached CZK 50bn. The value of the transactions closed during the visit of the Chinese president Si Tin-pching in Prague in March, however, was expected to reach CZK 95bn and was set to rise to CZK 294bn by 2020.
Roklen analyst Lukáš Kovanda says that numbers will grow gradually, but pointed out that Poland courted China five years ago, signing a strategic partnership that was ultimately disappointing.
Imports of Chinese goods into the Czech Republic dropped 1.7 percent in the first eight months of 2016 y-o-y to CZK 276bn. Czech exports fell to CZK 29bn over the same period, a drop by five percent y-o-y.
