While politicians quarrelled over a recent visit of the Dalai Lama in Slovakia, business people focused on business as usual. Investment opportunities provided by the Silk Road were discussed on Monday by Slovak and Chinese businessmen during a visit with representatives of Chinese companies headed by Lu Jianzhong, president of the Silk Road Chamber of International Commerce. This is a non-profit and non-political international business organisation set up jointly in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region by chambers of commerce from countries located along the Silk Road and the Tang West Market Group. China is planning to restore the 5,000-year-old Silk Road, a route that saw lively trading activities between Asia and Europe in the past. According to Lu Jianzhong, China considers Slovakia to be a significant business partner that has all the prerequisites for further expansion of business contacts. Slovak Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Peter Mihok said that Slovak entrepreneurs will be able to take part in projects funded within the Silk Road initiative and propose projects to be carried out in cooperation with Chinese partners. The Chinese delegation is also due to meet representatives of the University of Economics in Bratislava in order to discuss opportunities for student exchange programmes and further plans concerning Chinese language lessons at the university.
The meeting of the Slovak president Andrej Kiska with the Dalai Lama, from October 16th caused a sharp-toned response from the Chinese Foreign Ministry and did not please Premier Robert Fico either. "Kiska's move has clearly damaged Slovak-Chinese relations, and there's nothing mysterious about it," said Fico. The Slovak president met with the Dalai Lama at a private lunch outside the Presidential Palace. However, according to Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajčák, China doesn't distinguish between private and official meetings. The Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry stated that China would react against Slovakia for the meeting, as Kiska had ignored China's "strong opposition" to the move, which was contrary to Slovakia's promise to support the 'one-China' policy (the position that Tibet is a legitimate part of China).
