Key facts
- A Czech citizen detained in China since late June is being investigated for national security offenses.
- China's Foreign Ministry confirmed the investigation on Thursday.
- The Czech Foreign Ministry announced the detention on Wednesday.
- Czech media reported the detained individual is a businessman suspected of espionage.
- China is demanding the release of Yang Yiming, a Chinese journalist arrested in Prague in January on espionage charges.
- The Czech Foreign Minister stated the two cases are unrelated.
China's Foreign Ministry announced on Thursday that a Czech citizen detained in the country since late June is under investigation for offenses endangering national security. This development occurs amid mutual espionage accusations that threaten to disrupt a recent warming of diplomatic ties between Beijing and Prague.
The Czech Foreign Ministry had announced the detention on Wednesday, stating that its officials were in consular contact with the citizen. Czech news website Seznam Zpravy reported that a Czech businessman active in China was detained by Chinese security forces at an airport and is expected to be charged with espionage.
According to reports, Czech intelligence services had long suspected that Beijing might detain a Czech national to use as a bargaining chip for Yang Yiming, a suspected Chinese intelligence operative arrested in Prague in January. Yang, identified by local media as a reporter for a Chinese Communist Party-affiliated newspaper, is awaiting trial in the Czech Republic on charges of conducting "unauthorised activity for foreign power".
China's foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian described the charges against Yang as trumped-up and urged the Czech Republic to "immediately release the relevant personnel" and safeguard their rights. He also stated that the detained Czech citizen's rights were fully guaranteed.
Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka, however, stated that the two cases were unrelated, emphasizing that Czech diplomats were in contact with their Chinese counterparts. Beijing and Prague have signaled a desire for improved relations in recent months, following a period of tension under the previous Czech administration due to its strong ties with Taiwan. The current Czech government, in power since December, has pursued a more pragmatic approach toward Beijing. Czech lower house speaker Tomio Okamura is scheduled to travel to China on July 19 to foster tourism and cultural ties, with a deputy foreign minister potentially discussing the detained citizen's case.