HN: Zeman making Czech Republic only EU state to ignore boycott of Chinese WWII celebrations

The decision of the Czech president, Miloš Zeman, to attend events in China in September marking the end of World War II in the Pacific means the Czech Republic will be the only European Union state to ignore a proposal from Brussels for an EU-wide boycott of the celebrations, Hospodářské noviny reported on Tuesday. A Czech foreign ministry spokesperson told the newspaper that its officials had had to reject a coordinated EU position due to Mr. Zeman’s plan. It is not clear whether the Czech head of state will attend a military parade in Beijing. EU representatives are reportedly staying away from the anniversary events due to tensions between China and Japan and because Russia’s President Putin will be in attendance.

Author: Ian Willoughby