Czech citizen detained in China suspected of endangering national security

BEIJING/PRAGUE, July 16 (Reuters) - A Czech ‌citizen held in ​China ​since the end of June is being investigated on suspicion of national security offences, China's Foreign Ministry said on Thursday, as it demanded ‌the release of one of its citizens awaiting trial in the ⁠Czech Republic on charges of working for Beijing intelligence.

The Czech Foreign Ministry announced the detention of ‌the Czech citizen on Wednesday ‌and said its officials were in consular contact. China said their rights were fully guaranteed.

Czech news website Seznam Zpravy reported on Wednesday that a Czech businessman ​active in China had been detained by Chinese security forces at an airport, and was expected to be charged with espionage.

The report said Czech intelligence services ⁠had been suspecting Beijing might detain a Czech national to exchange for suspected Chinese intelligence operative Yang Yiming, who ​was arrested in Prague in January.

Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka said the two cases were unrelated.

"Those are two absolutely isolated and ​mutually unrelated cases," he said in a live ‌interview on Czech Television. He said Czech diplomats were in contact with Chinese counterparts.

Yang, identified by Czech media as a reporter ⁠for a Chinese Communist Party-affiliated newspaper, faces charges of conducting "unauthorised activity for a foreign power".

China's foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian described the charges against the Chinese journalist as trumped-up and urged the Czech ⁠Republic to immediately release him.

Beijing and Prague have signalled a warming of diplomatic ties in ​recent months after tensions under the previous Czech administration due to its strong ties with Taiwan, the democratically governed island claimed by China.

The new Czech government in power since December has ‌sought a more pragmatic relationship with Beijing.

Czech lower house speaker Tomio Okamura is scheduled to travel to China on July 19 ‌to bolster tourism and cultural ties. Macinka said a deputy foreign minister would be part ⁠of the delegation and could ‌potentially discuss the matter of ​the detained citizen.

(Reporting by Colleen Howe and the Beijing newsroom, Jan Lopatka in Prague; writing by Farah Master; editing by Andrei Khalip, ‌Alexandra Hudson)

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