Photo: ChatGPT
What is happening?
On January 18, the Czech police arrested a Chinese citizen — an accredited journalist registered with the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs — on charges of espionage. The man worked for Guangming Daily (光明日報), a newspaper controlled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and linked to China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS). The outlet is known for disseminating Chinese state propaganda as well as for employing MSS operatives abroad.
It may not be a coincidence that this arrest occurred shortly after the crime of “unauthorized activity for a foreign power” came into force on January 1, 2026. This is the very first case in which a foreign national suspected of espionage is being prosecuted in the Czech Republic rather than simply deported. The timing is also significant for Czech–China relations, which many had expected to become warmer under the new coalition government in Czechia.
What is the broader picture?
According to media reports, Yang Yiming (楊藝明) attempted to obtain information on the development of Czech foreign policy, with a particular focus on Taiwan. He conducted interviews and produced reports on Czechia and the V4 region for a Chinese audience. For these interviews, he selected politicians who were sympathetic to China or openly admiring of the Chinese political system. Among them were Kateřina Konečná, leader of the Czech Communist Party, and former MEP Jan Zahradil, a known CCP advocate who serves as a foreign policy adviser to the Czech Motorist Party, the party currently holding the Foreign Minister post (Petr Macinka).
Yang was also active in Slovakia, interviewing high-ranking Slovak politicians as well as Artur Bekmatov, an adviser to Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico. Brandishing volume four of The Governance of China by China’s President Xi Jinping, Bekmatov boasted about the interview on his Facebook page and praised China as “a source of inspiration when looking for alternatives to capitalism.”
It is not difficult to envisage likeminded figures with access to government sharing potentially sensitive information with Chinese journalists of dubious integrity. Politicians themselves often proudly share such interviews on social media, highlighting gifts they have received, leading to legitimate concerns of elite capture.
The arrest is significant for several reasons. First, the new government has included in its program statement the intention to repeal the amendment on “unauthorized activity for a foreign power,” which was vigorously debated under the former government and has faced strong opposition within the (current) governing coalition, with critics arguing that the law is overly broad. The recent arrest, however, clearly illustrates the type of foreign influence this legal instrument is intended to address. Prime Minister Andrej Babiš has in reaction to this serious case stated that abolishing the offense is not under consideration for now — perhaps also to avoid provoking the United States.
Second, the case comes amid a publicly announced shift in Czech relations with China, only one week after Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Hua Chunying (華春瑩) visited Czechia and met with her counterpart Marie Chatardová. Based on such interactions, Hynek Kmoníček, a senior diplomat and newly appointed national security adviser to Babiš, recently spoke of a “turn in relations with China,” stating that Czechia seeks to resume business engagement with Beijing while continuing cooperation with Taiwan. Discussions have also emerged about a possible visit by Babiš to Beijing later this year.
Why does it matter?
Perhaps the most important factor shaping these dynamics is the United States. After the U.S. administration learned of Babiš’s planned trip to China, the U.S. Embassy reportedly requested clarification from the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The ministry responded that any visit would take place only after President Donald Trump’s visit to China is concluded.
This overdependence on the U.S. in Czech foreign policy is visible in other cases as well. For example, while most European states openly condemned President Trump’s statements regarding Greenland, Czech officials remained silent.
Two main conclusions can be drawn: The Czech intelligence services have once again demonstrated that they are willing to act decisively on suspected malign foreign influence operations, and the new government will find it difficult both to walk back the criminal code amendment and to improve relations with China while remaining strategically dependent on the United States.