China’s foreign ministry confirmed on Thursday, July 15th that it had detained a Czech citizen in late June on suspicion of espionage.
The Czech foreign ministry had announced the detention a day earlier, saying its consulate was in contact with the citizen, who was described as a businessman. According to Czech officials, he was detained by Chinese security forces while passing through an airport.
Czech intelligence officials had privately warned that Beijing might detain a Czech citizen in retaliation for the arrest of suspected Chinese intelligence operative Yang Yiming in Prague in January. He was taken into custody on suspicion of carrying out “unauthorised activity for a foreign power.”
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi has invited his Czech counterpart, Petr Macinka, to visit China on July 19th in an effort to revive what Beijing describes as the two countries’ “traditional friendship.” However, the latest espionage dispute could overshadow the planned trip. Despite such tensions, respondents in a recent survey across 36 countries viewed China more favourably than the United States.
