{"id":42241,"date":"2026-01-27T12:06:07","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T10:06:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/?p=42241"},"modified":"2026-01-28T15:14:40","modified_gmt":"2026-01-28T13:14:40","slug":"chinese-espionage-case-tests-the-czechias-turn-toward-china","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/en\/chinese-espionage-case-tests-the-czechias-turn-toward-china\/","title":{"rendered":"Chinese Espionage Case Tests the Czechia\u2019s \u201cTurn\u201d Toward China"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"42241\" class=\"elementor elementor-42241\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-6baeef79 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"6baeef79\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-d5dd137\" data-id=\"d5dd137\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-46c91fc5 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"46c91fc5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-no-translation=\"\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Photo: ChatGPT<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1586109f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1586109f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-no-translation=\"\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<style>.elementor-element-1586109f{display:none !important}<\/style>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-7c5a13ff elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"7c5a13ff\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-2dbe05cb\" data-id=\"2dbe05cb\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-inner-section elementor-element elementor-element-36b554c3 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"36b554c3\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\" data-no-translation=\"\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-6b6f10ed\" data-id=\"6b6f10ed\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-eedc7a1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"eedc7a1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2>What is happening?<\/h2><p>On January 18, the Czech police arrested a Chinese citizen \u2014 an accredited journalist registered with the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs \u2014 on charges of espionage. The man worked for Guangming Daily (\u5149\u660e\u65e5\u5831), a newspaper controlled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and linked to China\u2019s Ministry of State Security (MSS). The outlet is known for disseminating Chinese state propaganda as well as for employing MSS operatives abroad.<\/p><p>It may not be a coincidence that this arrest occurred shortly after the crime of \u201cunauthorized activity for a foreign power\u201d 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\u2013China relations, which many had expected to become warmer under the new coalition government in Czechia.<\/p><h2>\u00a0<\/h2><h2>What is the broader picture?<\/h2><p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.seznamzpravy.cz\/clanek\/domaci-kauzy-cinsky-propagandista-je-podezrely-ze-v-cesku-sbiral-kompro-na-politiky-297156\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">media reports<\/a>, Yang Yiming (\u694a\u85dd\u660e) attempted to <strong>obtain information on the development of Czech foreign policy<\/strong>, 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 <strong>politicians who were sympathetic to China<\/strong> or openly admiring of the Chinese political system. Among them were Kate\u0159ina Kone\u010dn\u00e1, leader of the Czech Communist Party, and former MEP <a href=\"https:\/\/www.xhby.net\/content\/s66a59ec7e4b00cab55aa4f4c.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jan Zahradil<\/a>, a known CCP advocate who <a href=\"https:\/\/motoristesobe.cz\/jan-zahradil-miri-k-motoristum-jako-expert-na-zahranicni-politiku-1891\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">serves<\/a> as a foreign policy adviser to the Czech Motorist Party, the party currently holding the Foreign Minister post (Petr Macinka).<\/p><p>Yang was also active in Slovakia, interviewing <strong>high-ranking Slovak politicians<\/strong> as well as Artur Bekmatov, an adviser to Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico. Brandishing volume four of <em>The Governance of China <\/em>by China\u2019s President Xi Jinping, Bekmatov <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/bekmatovartur\/posts\/607617681589399?ref=embed_post\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">boasted<\/a> about the interview on his Facebook page and praised China as \u201ca source of inspiration when looking for alternatives to capitalism.\u201d<\/p><p>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 <strong>elite capture<\/strong>.<\/p><p>The arrest is significant for several reasons. First, the new government has included in its program statement the <strong>intention to repeal the amendment on \u201cunauthorized activity for a foreign power,\u201d<\/strong> 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 Babi\u0161 has in reaction to this serious case <a href=\"https:\/\/denikn.cz\/1949580\/vazna-vec-rika-babis-o-zadrzeni-cinana-ruseni-daneho-trestneho-cinu-podle-nej-neni-na-stole-tejc-tvrdi-opak\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">stated<\/a> that abolishing the offense is <strong>not under consideration for now <\/strong>\u2014 perhaps also to avoid provoking the United States.<\/p><p>Second, the case comes amid a publicly <strong>announced shift in Czech relations with China<\/strong>, only one week after Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Hua Chunying (\u83ef\u6625\u7469) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/mzvcr\/posts\/1186948050287239?ref=embed_post\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">visited<\/a> Czechia and met with her counterpart Marie Chatardov\u00e1. Based on such interactions, Hynek Kmon\u00ed\u010dek, a senior diplomat and newly appointed national security adviser to Babi\u0161, recently <a href=\"https:\/\/www.idnes.cz\/zpravy\/zahranicni\/hynek-kmonicek-obrat-cina-andrej-babis-rozstrel-geopolitika.A260113_171427_zahranicni_vov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">spoke<\/a> of a \u201cturn in relations with China,\u201d stating that Czechia seeks to resume business engagement with Beijing while continuing cooperation with Taiwan. Discussions have also emerged about a possible visit by Babi\u0161 to Beijing later this year.<\/p><h2>\u00a0<\/h2><h2>Why does it matter?<\/h2><p>Perhaps the most important factor shaping these dynamics is the <strong>United States<\/strong>. After the U.S. administration learned of Babi\u0161\u2019s 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\u2019s visit to China is concluded.<\/p><p>This <strong>overdependence on the U.S. <\/strong>in Czech foreign policy is visible in other cases as well. For example, while most European states openly condemned President Trump\u2019s statements regarding Greenland, Czech officials remained silent.<\/p><p>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.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Photo: ChatGPT Foto: ChatGPT What is happening? On January 18, the Czech police arrested a Chinese citizen \u2014 an accredited journalist registered with the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs \u2014 on charges of espionage. The man worked for Guangming Daily (\u5149\u660e\u65e5\u5831), a newspaper controlled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and linked to China\u2019s Ministry [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":42243,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[500],"tags":[534],"class_list":["post-42241","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","tag-zuzana-koskova"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Chinese Espionage Case Tests the Czechia\u2019s \u201cTurn\u201d Toward China - European Values Center for Security Policy<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/en\/chinese-espionage-case-tests-the-czechias-turn-toward-china\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Chinese Espionage Case Tests the Czechia\u2019s \u201cTurn\u201d Toward China - European Values Center for Security Policy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Photo: ChatGPT Foto: ChatGPT What is happening? On January 18, the Czech police arrested a Chinese citizen \u2014 an accredited journalist registered with the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs \u2014 on charges of espionage. The man worked for Guangming Daily (\u5149\u660e\u65e5\u5831), a newspaper controlled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and linked to China\u2019s Ministry [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/en\/chinese-espionage-case-tests-the-czechias-turn-toward-china\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"European Values Center for Security Policy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-01-27T10:06:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-01-28T13:14:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/CN_illustration_ChatGpt.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2160\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1136\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Ond\u0159ej Ber\u00e1nek\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Ond\u0159ej Ber\u00e1nek\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/europeanvalues.cz\\\/chinese-espionage-case-tests-the-czechias-turn-toward-china\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/europeanvalues.cz\\\/chinese-espionage-case-tests-the-czechias-turn-toward-china\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Ond\u0159ej Ber\u00e1nek\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/europeanvalues.cz\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7724fb271acacd215231c937a200a510\"},\"headline\":\"Chinese Espionage Case Tests the Czechia\u2019s \u201cTurn\u201d Toward China\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-27T10:06:07+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-28T13:14:40+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/europeanvalues.cz\\\/chinese-espionage-case-tests-the-czechias-turn-toward-china\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1582,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/europeanvalues.cz\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/europeanvalues.cz\\\/chinese-espionage-case-tests-the-czechias-turn-toward-china\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/europeanvalues.cz\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/CN_illustration_ChatGpt.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Zuzana Ko\u0161kov\u00e1\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Articles\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/europeanvalues.cz\\\/chinese-espionage-case-tests-the-czechias-turn-toward-china\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/europeanvalues.cz\\\/chinese-espionage-case-tests-the-czechias-turn-toward-china\\\/\",\"name\":\"Chinese Espionage Case Tests the Czechia\u2019s \u201cTurn\u201d Toward China - 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On January 18, the Czech police arrested a Chinese citizen \u2014 an accredited journalist registered with the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs \u2014 on charges of espionage. 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