China is willing to increase cooperation with the Czech Republic in areas including nuclear power and finance, Premier Li Keqiang said on Nov 27 at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing while meeting with Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka.

The China-Czech relationship is gaining momentum, and China is willing to cooperate with the Czech Republic in various areas on the basis of mutual trust and respect, Premier Li said.

China would like to link its development strategy with the Czech Republic, make use of their complementary advantages, and enhance cooperation in areas including iron and steel, the auto industry, and machinery, Premier Li said.

The Czech Premier Minister was paying his first official visit to China after attending the Fourth Summit of China and Central and Eastern European Countries in Suzhou, Jiangsu province.

The two countries should use tools such as big data to keep their technologies updated, and deepen cooperation in science, Premier Li said.

China’s nuclear technologies and equipment are advanced and have lower costs, and China would like to participate in building the nuclear industry in the Czech Republic, said the Premier.

China hopes to innovate and broaden investment and financial cooperation with the Czech Republic under the framework of the “16+1” financial company proposed during the Fourth China and Central and Eastern European Countries Summit, Premier Li said.

The Premier pointed out that both sides should enhance cooperation in areas including medicine, sports and tourism.

PM Sobotka congratulated China’s successful hosting of the Fourth China-Central and Eastern European Countries Summit, saying that the “16+1” mechanism is an important platform to improve Czech-China ties.

The Czech government would like to enhance cooperation with China in industry and high-technology research, Sobotka said, proposing to establish a joint fund to provide financial support for companies.

The Czech Republic hopes to deepen cooperation with China in areas including the nuclear industry, health, investment and finance, Sobotka said.