By Xu Xiujun, deputy director of International Politics and Economics Department, Institute of World Economics and Politics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences; cartoon drawing by Wang Dongjie

On the first day of President Xi Jinping’s visit to the Czech Republic, President Milos Zeman had arranged an informal meeting with Xi at the Lany presidential chateau in central Bohemia.

This is the first time for a Czech head of state to invite a foreign leader to the chateau. Many memorable moments have impressed the Chinese and Czech peoples and the world as well.

The two leaders had also planted a ginkgo sapling together, which symbolizes a China-Czech friendship that would flourish, develop and continue on in the future. 

The public believes that the Xi-Zeman private meeting has created classic moments for bilateral ties, and ushered in a new era of China-Czech friendship.

The private meeting served as a prelude, creating a sincere atmosphere for both leaders’ ensuing formal meetings, offering a new background for China- Czech pragmatic cooperation. 

The Xi-Zeman private meeting had also conveyed a signal with rich implications to the outside world. China-Czech relations are standing at a stage with fast growth and high achievements, expected to be a new model to promote China-Eastern European cooperation and inject new momentum to China-European relations.

( The opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Panview or CCTV.com. )

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