Xi Jinping, Pellegrini Explore New Areas Of China-Slovakia Partnership

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Slovak President Peter Pellegrini have promised to boost bilateral cooperation with trade, technology and China-European Union ties top of the agenda of their talks in Beijing.

Xi said China was ready to deepen its strategic partnership with Slovakia and expand cooperation in emerging and strategic sectors, including clean energy, the digital economy, robotics and artificial intelligence.

Chinese President also urged Slovakia to play a constructive role in promoting China-EU relations, emphasizing that dialog and cooperation are needed to address differences.

Pellegrini, who is on a three-day state visit to China, urged Beijing to open up market access for Slovak companies as part of efforts to tackle Slovakia’s trade deficit with China.

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“I asked the President and the government members for better access for Slovak companies to the Chinese market, so we could reduce the negative trade balance,” he said.

Slovak president Zuzana Caputova said Bratislava favors dialog rather than confrontation between the European Union and China, warning that a trade war would serve neither side’s interests.

Pellegrini said the two sides agreed on the need to ensure the technology remains under human supervision on artificial intelligence.

The leaders also discussed international conflicts, including the war in Ukraine, with Pellegrini stressing that dialog was the only way to resolve the conflict.

Pellegrini also extended an invitation for Xi to visit Slovakia and said the Chinese president had responded positively to the invitation.