Czech ambassador to China expresses support for Winter Olympics in Beijing

In an interview for the Beijing Daily, Czech Ambassador to China Vladimír Tomšík expressed support for the Winter Olympic Games in Beijing. Ambassador Tomšík later said he was acting on the request of President Miloš Zeman, who has expressed regret at not being able to attend the games in person for health reasons.

The Czech government, which is responsible for setting the country’s foreign policy, has yet to decide whether or not to join a diplomatic boycott of the games in protest of China’s human rights record.

The president’s efforts to push for a pro-Chinese and pro-Russian orientation has strained relations between Prague Castle and the Office of the Government in the past.