China announced that it has cancelled a high-level bilateral meeting with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico. The cancellation is believed to be in retaliation to Slovakia's President Andrej Kiska meeting with the Dalai Lama last month. Fico took quick action to salvage the situation by extending an invitation to Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang.

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Premier Li is currently in Latvia. In the country's capital Riga, he held meeting with 16 of his counterparts from various central and East European countries. The meeting was primarily aimed at the discussion of trade issues.

Li was schedule to hold a meeting Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico. However, the Slovak government issued a statement saying that the Chinese side cancelled the meeting. Fico told reporters that President Andrej Kiska's decision to meet Dalai Lama during his October visit to Europe had "clearly damaged Slovak-Chinese relations."

Kiska met privately with the Dalai Lama on October 16 in Bratislava. China had asked the Slovak President not go ahead with his meeting with the Tibetan monk. The Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry had criticized Kiska for not heeding to China's "strong opposition." China had also warned Slovakia that it would retaliate.

Slovak Prime Minister Fico tried to diffuse the situation. "I regret that instead of adding energy to further projects with China, we must repair the damage that has been inflicted," he said. He revealed that he has invited the Chinese Prime Minister Li to visit Slovakia.

Apart from being Slovak Prime Minister, Fico is currently managing Slovakia's six-month rotating presidency of the European Union. The tenure for the rotating position will expire at the end of December. 

TagsSlovakia, Dalai Lama, Li Keqiang