Prague to get two new direct flights to China

Prague will be connected to China with another two direct flights from Shenzhen and Kunming airports within months, the Czech Republic Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka said on Tuesday.

It is expected that the direct flights between Shenzhen and Prague will be launched by the end of this year and the other direct flight will be put into operation early next year. There are currently three direct flights between Prague and Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu.

Addressing the China Investment Forum in Prague on Tuesday, Sobotka said the links will help to turn his country into a regional aviation hub.

The prime minister joined Liu Yunshan, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, who is visiting the Czech Republic to deliver a keynote speech at the forum.

Liu said the Belt and Road Initiative had already become a "world platform of cooperation", which has put China and the Central and East Europe countries on a "fast train in exploring cooperation potentials".

"For the next step, we need to align our development strategies and press ahead with the construction of big projects," Liu said.

He listed the Danube-Oder-Elbe Water Corridor for the Czech Republic, the Amber Road of Poland, the Open to the East Policy of Hungary, the reindustralization strategy of Serbia and the three Seas Initiative of Croatia as areas of cooperation that converge with China's Belt and Road Initiative.

"Going forward, we should work harder to speed up construction of the Hungary-Serbia Railway, Montenegro south-north expressway and do a good job in the implementation of energy projects such as Cernavoda nuclear power plant in Romania," said Liu.

"China encourages its reputable and competent businesses to participate in such big projects and we also welcome the enterprises in Central and East Europe to invest in China."

The forum was partly sponsored by Shanghai-based CEFC China Energy, which is a major investor in the Czech Republic.

Ye Jianming, chairman of CEFC China Energy, who is also the economic adviser to Czech President Milos Zeman, said: "By talking use of our advantage of being an investment bank and wide network in China and the rest of world, we are delighted to explore synergies between China's market and production capacities and the capital and technologies overseas."

Contact the writer at fujing@chinadaily.com.cn