New details on Czech detained in China emerge during Okamura's Beijing visit, as parallel spy case stalls in Prague

New information during Beijing visit

During a meeting of a Czech parliamentary delegation led by Speaker Tomio Okamura in Beijing, new details surfaced about a Czech citizen detained in China. Foreign Minister Petr Macinka confirmed the development to journalists on Friday while departing a visit to Croatia. Deputy Foreign Minister Jiří Brodský, who represents the ministry at the talks in China, briefed Macinka on the situation. The case will now be handled jointly by the Czech Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Justice, Macinka said, adding that he would discuss further details with diplomats upon his return. The information emerged during Okamura's meeting with Zhao Leji, chairman of China's parliament, on Thursday.

The Czech detainee in China

The Czech citizen was detained at the end of June while on a private trip to China, according to Macinka. Beijing is investigating him on suspicion of endangering state security. The Czech Republic has been in consular contact with the man since his arrest. Czech security forces, as reported by Deník N, do not rule out that China might seek to exchange him for a Chinese national currently held in Czechia on espionage charges. The detention heightened tensions shortly before Okamura's trip, which was intended to improve relations after the new Czech government took office last December and declared a more pragmatic approach toward Beijing.

The parallel espionage case in Prague

The Chinese national, a former Prague correspondent for a Chinese Communist Party newspaper, was arrested at the beginning of the year and charged with unauthorized activity for a foreign power. He is the first person prosecuted under this paragraph in Czechia. According to Seznam Zprávy, he had lived in the country for years, with the Czech government repeatedly extending his press accreditation. Security services allege he attempted to gather information from Czech and Slovak politicians through interviews.

In June, the Prague Municipal Court ordered his release from custody and returned the case to the police for further investigation. However, the prosecutor filed a complaint against the decision, keeping the man in detention. The Prague High Court has three months to rule on the complaint, with a deadline around mid-September. Investigators fear that if released, the suspect would flee to China and the case would effectively end, Deník N reported.

Diplomatic backdrop and next steps

Okamura's meeting with Zhao Leji was part of a broader effort to reset Czech-China relations. According to the Xinhua news agency, Zhao praised the "positive and pragmatic" policy of the new Czech government toward China and expressed confidence that the current favorable development of bilateral relations would continue. Okamura told journalists he officially invited Zhao to visit Czechia. The simultaneous detention cases now form a sensitive backdrop to the diplomatic outreach. Macinka said he would discuss the details of the new information with diplomats after returning from his travels, while the Prague High Court's decision on the Chinese suspect's custody is expected by mid-September.