Czech Republic Bans Investment From Chinese Satellite Firm Over Espionage Concerns News24 –

Observing potential espionage, the Czech government barred a Chinese firm’s investment in a satellite station, as reported by TVP World.

According to the report from TVP World, the Chinese firm, Emposat, which is headquartered in Beijing, intended to install a satellite dish at a location in the village of Vlkos in the Moravia region of eastern Czechia. 

During a private meeting last week, the ministers decided to halt the venture. 

This comes as the first instance in which Czech authorities have applied the most stringent measures allowed under a 2021 law aimed at reviewing foreign investments, media reports indicate.

The leaked document, initially reported by the Seznam Zpravy website, noted that Emposat’s involvement “may pose a threat to the security of the Czech Republic,” with sources revealing that the decision stemmed from alerts by the nation’s intelligence agencies, as indicated in the report by TVP World.

Marek Vosahlik from the Czech Ministry of Industry and Trade mentioned, as quoted by TVP World, that “the investment has minimal impact on employment and the economy, but due to the nature of the facility, it may have significant security implications.”

According to Seznam Zpravy, Emposat’s dish, which is a 7.3-metre-wide parabolic antenna, has already been set up but might now require dismantling.

Pekasat, the company based in Brno that operates the ground satellite station in Vlkos, denied any operational or financial ties to the Chinese firm, asserting that Emposat was merely a tenant renting space at the location.

Last year, Sikyong of the Central Tibet Administration (CTA), Sikyong Penpa Tsering, visited the Czech Republic to participate in a significant conference held at the Prague Congress Centre, according to a report from the CTA.