Working with China makes pragmatic sense: I supported Okamura's drive for economic growth and investment

I praise the wayTomio Okamura - SPDto China. I myself had a very successful visit there in May. The Czech Republic will not stand in a corner and wait for the crumbs that fall from the table to the Germans or Americans! And don't listen to those sold-out donkeys from the opposition - people like Hřib or Vystrčil are only spoiling our relations there so that the Czechs remain in the position of dependent lackeys.

Why is it good to cooperate with China? A small quiz to start with - two car factories. Audi in Brussels (German VW concern), and Volvo in Ghent (Chinese Geely concern):

One of them closed last year, after 76 years, and laid off 3,000 employees.

The latter produced 212,000 cars last year and hired 6,600 new employees, to the benefit of the city and related professions

Guess which one is which, and guess who you'd rather have as an investor

So, what can (and should) Mr. Tomio talk about in China for the Czech Republic? It depends on who you are:

Are you a company, municipality or region where industry is dying, do you need new investments and technologies? Suffice it to say. Maybe robotics, biotechnology, or maybe something from artificial intelligence? China applies for more patents than the EU and the US combined, and their factories don't go bankrupt or lay off workers. You need politicians like us not to spoil business, but to negotiate well so that the investments are beneficial for both parties. No assembly plant. Technology transfer, good jobs for local people, win-win.

Are you a manufacturer or an innovator? Don't believe that China is a country of poor people working for a dollar a day in a T-shirt factory, where they will just steal your patent and eat the dog, only Zdechovský says this nonsense on TV. China is a HUGE market with a 400 million middle class that is still growing, getting richer and wanting to not only produce but also buy goods and services. Anyone who is not lazy and has a product or service that makes sense will find a place in the Chinese market. If you are a start-up, what would not pay for thousands of customers in the Czech Republic can be scaled to millions of consumers in China. Just don't try to sell them crap and hot water, you're not in Brussels asking for a grant for a green non-profit.

Are you a consumer? You don't want to wait for penicillin like during the War? We import a lot of essential things from China and it is up to us under what conditions this will happen. You may pay duties and surcharges or face shortages. You can pay for what some smart guy sells you as a "western" product for three times more after he himself bought it in China (see the European Parliament computers from the American brand HP with the inscription Made in China...). Or you can enjoy direct, mutually beneficial trade exchanges, without unnecessary barriers and trade wars.

Are you an ordinary worker and afraid that the Chinese are communists? Yeah, they are because they're not stupid. So they work for China and keep the surplus value at home, while you work for Western bankers and send 335 billion annually out of the Czech Republic in dividends, because our industry and our banking no longer belong to us. China will not let this happen anymore and is not curious about financial speculators. That's why they don't like her either and spread propaganda against her. I am considering...

Do you deal with security and are you afraid of wars? Today, China is probably the strongest military power in the world, across disciplines, except perhaps for nuclear weapons, of which the Americans and Russians have more. Nevertheless, it has not fought in any war in the last half century. NOT IN A SINGLE WAR. Compare this with other great powers, including our democratic value friends (you can even talk about it with someone from Sarajevo who enjoyed the humanitarian bombing). We do not have a single fundamental security dispute with China in the Czech Republic, it is completely unrealistic that it would intend or need to occupy or threaten us in any way. On the contrary, thanks to its economic pressure and interest in the functioning of international trade, it is the best guarantee of stability and peace - even for its own benefit. Wars are started by economically declining powers that are in debt and losing in the market, not rising ones that need to buy and sell.

So if Mr. Okamura is heading to China, which is where I'm headed next month along my line, it makes sense. Do you want to create a good foreign policy? Have friends, have good cards. And when you're looking for friends in foreign countries, don't bet on proven corruptors, genocidal maniacs, or aggressive debt-ridden losers who just want money from you. You'd better be nice to the Chinese :)