Slovak parliament speaker lobbies for China investments amid security concerns
Attracting investments for railway infrastructure was among the main issues agreed with National Council Boris Kollár’s China trip, with analysts warning that China’s participation in constructing critical infrastructure would be a security threat.
“China is certainly one of those countries from which we have a lot to learn, especially in terms of their economic and technological maturity,” Kollár wrote on Facebook.
“Within the framework of our working trip in this country, we had several negotiations, where we mainly discussed the possible cooperation of our entrepreneurs with the Chinese ones, but especially the cooperation in the field of train transport with China Railway International Group,” he said.
Kollár added that “China is open to possible cooperation”, which should include a new train line of fast trains between the two largest cities in the country: Košice and Bratislava.
Analysts, however, warn of Chinese investments, particularly regarding security.
“Allowing Chinese participation in the construction of critical infrastructure would be a big blunder for our security,” analyst Matej Šimalčík from the Institute of Asian Studies wrote on Twitter.
Before the visit, Kollár said he does not plan to bring up China’s continuing cooperation with Russia or the war in Ukraine.
However, after Tuesday’s meeting with Chairman of the All-China People’s Congress Zhao Le-ji in Beijing, Kollár said he had mentioned the war.
“We talked about peace. For me, it was very crucial when the Chairman made it clear that China respects the territorial integrity of any country in the world,” Kollar said.
Although China is Russia’s ally, it does not militarily support its aggression in Ukraine.
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, the EU, the US, and NATO have been trying to persuade China to renounce its alliance with Russian President Vladimir Putin and not to help him economically either.
(Michal Hudec | EURACTIV.sk)
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