The consumer finance group Home Credit, owned by the richest Czech Petr
Kellner, hired a PR agency to improve the media image of the Communist
Party of China and thus influence Czech society in its favour, news site
Aktuálně reported on Tuesday, citing documents in its possession.
From April to August 2019, money for some 2,000 hours of work was
apparently paid by Home Credit to C&B Reputation Management. The PR
agency was hired to “help those who support the Chinese regime in the
media and attack its critics” and also organised the creation and
activities of an institute called Sinoskop – Institut for Contemporary
China, Aktuálně writes. However, the director of the agency, Tomáš
Sazima, says that its work was only to “moderate the debate about China
and bring in relevant elements”.
In an annual report published last month the Czech counterintelligence
service BIS considered the spread of China's influence in the Czech
Republic to be one of the greatest security threats.