Zeman compares Silk Road project to post-war Marshall Plan

Speaking at a summit in China on Sunday, Czech President Miloš Zeman called the Silk Road project plan launched by China in 2013 (aimed at significantly expanding Chinese, European and African economic cooperation) the “most fascinating project of modern history”. In scope and significance he compared to the United States’ Marshall Plan which helped rebuild post-war western Europe after WWII. Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday pledged 124 billion dollars for the project, formally known as the Belt and Road initiative, with the aim of growing an “open world economy”.

In China, President Zeman and several close aides met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Mr Zeman has met with the Russian leader on numerous occasions in the past, including his last visit to China in 2015. Mr Zeman has previously come out against continuing western sanctions against Russia, imposed after the annexation of Crimea.