Final Word from Wednesday, March 7, 2018

CEFC China Energy Company has described itself as the largest private oil and gas company in China, yet when reports came out that its chairman, Ye Jianming, had been detained in China for questioning, Pres. Miloš Zeman summoned the Chinese ambassador, Ma Keqing, for an explanation. Ye is an adviser to Zeman, and Zeman's chief of staff, Vratislav Mynář, told Czech Radio yesterday that the Chinese amb. is the most relevant source of information for the Castle about Ye's current status. The amb. did not confirm that Ye had been detained, Mynář said. It would make good sense for the Castle to speak with China's local envoy if, as reported in the press, the Shanghai government had indeed taken over the administration of CEFC, but the Castle isn't entertaining this possibility. Instead of giving what seems to be false hope that things will work out fine with Ye, the Castle might want to start worrying about whether its other main Chinese ally, Ma Keqing, won't herself have career difficulties in Beijing because of her long-time, enthusiastic support for CEFC's strange Czech investments. [Czech Republic Jaroslav Tvrdík]