President Klaus embarks on historic trip to China

President Vaclav Klaus has begun an eleven-day state visit to China. This is the first ever visit by a Czech head of state to Beijing since the fall of the communist regime in Czechoslovakia in 1989. Mr Klaus is accompanied by a large delegation of Czech businessmen. The trip is expected to consolidate trade between the two countries, which has been booming in recent years. A number of human rights organisations, including Amnesty International and People in Need, have called on President Klaus to bring up the issue of China's poor human-rights record during his visit.