October 9, 2018. Shanghai – During the third leg of CEIBS Insights 2018 Europe Forum held in Prague, as part of efforts to expand the school’s brand in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and promote deeper Sino-CEE cooperation, CEIBS leaders also met with a number of influential individuals in the relationship between both countries. These included His Excellency Zhang Jianmin, Chinese Ambassador to the Czech Republic; Mr. Jan Kohout, former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic; and Prof. Pavel Hnát, Vice-Dean at University of Economics, Prague.

On the night of September 24, at the invitation of Ambassador Zhang, CEIBS President Li Mingjun, along with Assistant Presidents Snow Zhou and Yvonne Li visited the Chinese embassy in Prague where they had dinner with Ambassador Zhang and Commercial Counsellor Wang Jinsong.

President Li used the opportunity to brief both diplomats on CEIBS’ internationalisation initiatives, including the establishment of the Economic Research Institute of Central and Eastern Europe, the annual staging of the Europe forums, the establishment of the Zurich Institute of Business Education, and the organisation of alumni/student study tours to Europe. President Li also thanked Ambassador Zhang for his participation and speech at the Prague forum and expressed his hope for continued support from the Ambassador and the Chinese embassy for the school’s work in the Czech Republic and elsewhere in Central and Eastern Europe.

Ambassador Zhang spoke highly of CEIBS’ efforts in promoting commercial exchanges between China and Europe, noting that business exchanges between China and the Czech Republic have flourished recently amid good diplomatic relations. In addition, Ambassador Zhang expressed his expectations for CEIBS to continue to serve as a bridge between the two countries, allowing Chinese and Czech companies to benefit from this key development opportunity.

On the morning of September 25, President Li met with Mr. Jan Kohout, former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic and current President of the New Silk Road Institute Prague (NSRIP). As co-sponsor of the Prague forum, the NSRIP played an important role in the success of the event. President Li thanked Mr. Kohout for the great support that CEIBS received in the run-up to the forum and said that the school is very much looking forward to working with the NSRIP to further promote business cooperation between the two countries through future forums and other business exchange activities. Mr. Kohout, an old friend of CEIBS, talked about what the NSRIP has done in response to China’s Belt and Road Initiative and the China-CEEC 16+1 cooperative initiatives. In addition, Mr. Kohout praised CEIBS and its alumni for the outstanding work they have done to promote Sino-Czech cooperation. The meeting ended with President Li inviting Mr. Kohout to pay another visit to CEIBS when he attends the China International Import Expo with the Czech president in Shanghai in November.

The next stop for the CEIBS delegation was a visit to the University of Economics, Prague, where they met with the Vice-Dean for Studies, Faculty of International Relations, Professor Pavel Hnát. Together, they reviewed their cooperation in Central and Eastern European economic research, exchanged views on curriculum and faculty development, and further discussed possibilities of cooperation in areas such as alumni relations, admissions, forums, and student exchanges.