BEIJING/PRAGUE, July 16 (Reuters) – A Czech citizen detained in China since the end of June is being investigated on suspicion of offences endangering national security, China’s Foreign Ministry said on Thursday, as mutual espionage claims threaten to upend a recent diplomatic thaw between Beijing and Prague.
The Czech Foreign Ministry announced the detention on Wednesday and said its officials were in consular contact with the citizen, but would not provide further details.
Czech news website Seznam Zpravy reported that a Czech businessman active in China had been detained by Chinese security forces at an airport, and was expected to be charged with espionage.
The report said Czech intelligence services had long suspected Beijing might detain a Czech national to exchange for suspected Chinese intelligence operative Yang Yiming, who was 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 told a news briefing the detained Czech citizen’s rights were fully guaranteed, while describing charges against the Chinese journalist in Prague as trumped-up and urging the Czech Republic to “immediately release the relevant personnel” and safeguard their rights and interests.
Beijing and Prague have signalled a warming of diplomatic ties in recent months after a bout of tensions under the previous Czech administration due to its strong ties with Taiwan, the democratically governed island claimed by China.
The new Czech government in power since December has sought a more pragmatic relationship with Beijing.
During a meeting in May, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Czech counterpart Petr Macinka that China was willing to work with the Czech Republic to improve relations and revive their “traditional friendship”. Czech lower house speaker Tomio Okamura is scheduled to travel to China on July 19 as part of this diplomatic re-engagement.
(Reporting by Colleen Howe and the Beijing newsroom, Jan Lopatka in Prague; writing by Farah Master; editing by Andrei Khalip)
