The fourth Nuclear Security Summit was held in Washington, D.C. from March 31 to April 1. Chinese President Xi Jinping gave a speech titled “Strengthen Global Nuclear Security Architecture and Promote Global Nuclear Security Governance.”
 

Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a historic visit to the Czech Republic from March 28 to 30 to elevate bilateral ties to the level of a strategic partnership. Scholars said the warming of relations with the Czech Republic, sometimes called the “Heart of Europe,” has set a new model for diplomacy with Central and Eastern European countries, laying the foundation for further cooperation in the region.
 

Located in the center of Europe, the Czech Republic is not only a member of the European Union and NATO but also an important part of the “16+1 cooperation” mechanism. This year, it has assumed the rotating presidency of the Visegrád Group, a significant sub-regional organization in Central and Eastern Europe.

Huo Yuzhen, former Chinese ambassador to the Czech Republic and special representative for Central and Eastern European cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, pointed out the advantageous location of the Czech Republic, which acts as a hub for all of Europe.
 

The Czech Republic also has a solid industrial base that makes it one of the most economically developed countries in the region. The Czech Republic has become more pragmatic in its dealings with China in the past two years, which has contributed to the fast growth of bilateral trade, said Kong Tianping, a research fellow from the Institute of European Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
 

The Czech Republic is the second-largest trade partner of China in Central and Eastern Europe after Poland. In 2015, direct flights were opened between Beijing and Prague, and the number of Chinese tourists to the Czech Republic grew by 35 percent compared to the previous year to reach 285,000.
 

Huo, who worked in the Czech Republic for many years, also used “rapid” to describe the development of economic and trade cooperation between China and the Czech Republic. In the past 10 years, the Czech Republic’s exports to China have nearly tripled.

During Xi’s visit, the two sides signed agreements covering a number of fields. Huo regarded the president’s tour as a milestone, saying it reflects the robust momentum of bilateral relations. The establishment of a strategic partnership marks a new era, Huo said.
 

Huo added that the Czech Republic will be a good role model for the “16+1 cooperation” mechanism, and particularly, take the lead in regional cooperation.
 

The Czech Republic has played an active role in the mechanism since it was established, Huo said. So far the country has hosted the regional “16+1 cooperation” leaders meeting and health ministers meeting.
 

President Xi’s visit will further inspire Central and Eastern European countries to cooperate with China in such areas as trade, investments, infrastructure construction, energy, science, technology and culture, Huo said.

Xi’s trip also coincided with the first anniversary of the launch of the “Belt and Road” initiative, which was proposed on March 28, 2015. Scholars said that the “Belt and Road” initiative can be taken as an opportunity to promote Silk Road diplomacy, thus propelling China to extend bilateral, sub-regional and regional cooperation in Central and Eastern Europe.
 

With the establishment of the China-Czech strategic partnership, the two sides are expected to sign an additional memorandum of understanding containing a more detailed outline for cooperation. They will finish the outline as soon as possible to prepare for major programs involved. technological strength of nuclear programs and nuclear security challenges. The international community should respect each country’s right to adopt nuclear security policies and measures suited to its national conditions and protect sensitive information concerning nuclear security. This will ensure the steady progress of efforts to establish a global framework of nuclear security governance, Wu said.
 

According to China’s nuclear policy, each country is entitled to develop nuclear energy, but all have the duty to ensure nuclear security. China is committed to improving its national nuclear security system, said Zhao Tong, a research fellow from the Carnegie-Tsinghua Center, noting that China has incorporated nuclear security into the country’s overall security system and included it in the National Security Law, making clear the strategic importance of nuclear security.
 

In addition, the government’s efforts to improve its nuclear disaster response are also commendable, Zhao said, pointing out that China is forming a 320-member technical support and rescue team to respond to any nuclear emergency.
 

China has also vigorously promoted international cooperation on nuclear security and contributed resources and platforms as well. In March 2016, the Center of Excellence on Nuclear Security, a joint effort by China and the United States, started operation in Beijing. This is a “landmark achievement” of the China-US nuclear security cooperation, Fan said.
 

The center is the largest and most advanced facility for nuclear security exchanges and training in the Asia-Pacific region, Fan said, adding that it will not only improve China’s nuclear security but also that of other countries in the region.
 

Furthermore, China provides as much aid as it can to increase the security of nuclear materials in developing countries. For example, it has helped Ghana to convert the Miniature Neutron Source Reactor and made positive progress in the “low enrichment” project.
 

Looking forward the future, President Xi said in his speech: “China will build a network for capacity building on nuclear security, promote a cooperation model to reduce the use of highly enriched uranium, implement the action plan on strengthening security of radioactive sources, implement the action plan on strengthening security of radioactive sources, and promote its national security monitoring system for nuclear power.”
 

“The five moves are all specific and down-to-earth, pointing out the direction for future [nuclear security] work,” Wu said. “This fully shows that China is not only a constructive participant in the global nuclear security architecture but is also becoming a backbone force in guiding and propping up the architecture.”  

 

 

Mao Li is a reporter at the Chinese Social Sciences Today.