Czech Minister of Industry and Trade Martin Kuba (ODS) proudly unveiled his proposal for economic diplomacy to play a key role in boosting exports and diversifying sales abroad to reduce dependence on a struggling Europe. But he failed to get the foreign ministry on board beforehand — and it has a long list of complaints about allegedly major flaws in Kuba’s proposal.

Chinese entrepreneurs came up with the idea. If everything works out, the Czech Republic won’t pay a single crown for a new Shanghai-based Czech House (Český dům) — a state-sponsored center serving as a contact point between investors and Czech institutions. The question remains whether having representation in the most populous Chinese city would prompt Czech entrepreneurs to enage more with China.