Social Democrat ministers pull out of Zeman trip to China

Three ministers from the Social Democratic Party say they will not now take part in a visit by President Miloš Zeman to China. The minister of the interior, Milan Chovanec, Foreign Minister Lubomír Zaorálek and the minister of health, Miloslav Ludvík, announced on Tuesday that they were pulling out of the week-long trip. Mr. Chovanec and Mr. Zaorálek said they would stay in Prague in view of the current government situation. Responding to Mr. Chovanec’s announcement, the president’s spokesman said that it was very sad if he were more concerned about political intrigues than the interests of the Czech Republic. President Zeman is set to leave for China on Thursday.