Article by Hans Weber

30, September

Barely a day after presenting his credentials at Prague Castle, the new Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China, H.E. Zhou Qian, welcomed a remarkable gathering to his embassy at midday on 30 September 2026 to mark the 77th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic. With the Prime Minister, the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies and a former President among the guests, the reception was a debut few diplomats can match. PragueForum was there.

A New Ambassador, Straight Into the Spotlight

Rarely does a new ambassador step onto the Prague stage as quickly as Zhou Qian. On 29 September he presented his letter of credence to President Petr Pavel at Prague Castle – and just one day later he was already hosting one of the most important receptions of the diplomatic calendar.

The 54-year-old diplomat brings considerable experience of Central and Eastern Europe. He served as cultural counsellor in Slovenia and as political counsellor and chargé d’affaires in Slovakia, before becoming China’s Ambassador to Georgia in 2022. His familiarity with the region showed immediately: to the delight of his guests, he delivered his welcome address in Czech.

A Who’s Who of Czech Public Life

From noon until 2 pm, the embassy in Prague’s elegant Bubeneč district offered a splendid setting for the occasion – and the guest list read like a Who’s Who of Czech politics. The guests of honour and speakers were Prime Minister Andrej Babiš and the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Tomio Okamura. Former President Václav Klaus was also among the guests, as were Defence Minister Jaromír Zůna and numerous other figures from political life.

They were joined by almost the entire diplomatic corps accredited in Prague, along with many business leaders and representatives of culture, the economy and the armed forces – a clear sign of the interest that relations with China attract.

Speeches: Dialogue and Mutual Benefit

In his address, Ambassador Zhou Qian recalled Speaker Okamura’s visit to China in July, which he described as a great success. Prime Minister Andrej Babiš emphasised the mutual economic benefits of cooperation and the importance of open dialogue between the two countries. Speaker Tomio Okamura expressed his hope of building on the cooperation with the new ambassador and spoke of further steps that could bring the two countries closer – from easier travel for Czech tourists to a possible direct air link between Shanghai and Prague.

The outlook is busy: Prime Minister Babiš is expected to travel to Beijing next spring, a visit that could give Czech–Chinese relations fresh momentum.

1 October: The Birth of the People’s Republic

China’s National Day commemorates 1 October 1949, when Mao Zedong proclaimed the founding of the People’s Republic of China from the Gate of Heavenly Peace, Tiananmen, in Beijing. The proclamation followed decades of upheaval – the end of the imperial era in 1911, years of internal conflict, the Japanese invasion and the civil war.

In the decades that followed, the People’s Republic underwent profound changes. The reform and opening-up policy launched by Deng Xiaoping in 1978 set off one of the most remarkable economic transformations in history, lifting hundreds of millions of people out of poverty and making China the world’s second-largest economy and a central player in global trade.

Today, National Day marks the start of the “Golden Week”, one of the country’s most important holidays, when hundreds of millions of Chinese travel to visit family or explore their own country. Embassies around the world celebrate the day with receptions such as the one in Prague.

Prague and Beijing: Seventy-Seven Years of Relations

The ties between the two countries are almost as old as the People’s Republic itself. Czechoslovakia was among the very first states to recognize the new China, establishing diplomatic relations on 6 October 1949 – just days after its founding. In the 1950s, Czechoslovak engineers and experts helped build up Chinese industry, and cultural and academic exchanges flourished.

After the peaceful division of Czechoslovakia, the Czech Republic took over these relations in 1993. Economic cooperation has grown steadily since: China is one of the Czech Republic’s most important trading partners outside the EU, and Czech companies such as Škoda Auto have long been active on the Chinese market. A milestone was President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Prague in 2016, when the two countries agreed a strategic partnership.

Relations have also seen periods of tension, not least over Taiwan. The current government, however, has signaled a clear interest in pragmatic dialogue and closer economic cooperation – a mood that was very much in evidence on this sunny afternoon in Bubeneč.

Children’s Voices and Midday Sunshine

After the official part, a Chinese children’s choir from Prague took the stage and charmed the guests with its performance – a touching reminder that the Chinese community living here is also building the bridge between the two countries.

The weather played its part too. In glorious late-summer sunshine, the celebrations moved out into the embassy garden, where guests continued their conversations into the early afternoon over Chinese specialties, surrounded by the warm colors of early autumn.

PragueForum thanks Ambassador Zhou Qian and his team for their generous hospitality, wishes him every success in his new mission in Prague – and extends warm congratulations to the people of China on their National Day.