A delegation from Zhejiang provincial government visited Prague, capital of Czech Republic on July 17-19 in a bid to deepen economic cooperation between the eastern Chinese province and the Central European country.

Yuan Jiayun, governor of Zhejiang province, gave a speech during his meeting with his Czech counterparts.

"Czech Republic serves as an important link covering industry, trade and culture in the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, and functions as an important bi-directional platform between Zhejiang and Central and Eastern Europe."

"In the future, Czech Republic should expand its role as a hub for international logistics and cross-border e-commerce. Zhejiang and Czech Republic will deepen cooperation in key industries including auto manufacturing, e-commerce, smart cities and energy," said Yuan.

Zhejiang province and Pearson State signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on July 17, the 10th anniversary of the establishment of economic cooperation and exchanges between the two regions, to deepen cooperation in key fields.

On July 19, Yuan attended the inauguration ceremony for the first ever freight train running from Europe to China, which will depart from Prague and terminate in Yiwu, Zhejiang.

The delegates also inspected local enterprises including Skoda Transportation Company, Pilsner Urguell Brewery and Chint Group Czech Company. Some 30 leading enterprises from Zhejiang discussed cooperation with Czech officials and enterprises.