[Global Times special correspondent Wen Jian] "Despite the tense relationship between Beijing and the European Union, Slovak Prime Minister Fizo still welcomes Chinese companies' investment in electric vehicle battery factories in the country." Bloomberg reported on the 28th that Chinese company Guoxuan Hi-Tech decided to invest 1.2 billion euros to build a battery factory in Slovakia. At the project groundbreaking ceremony held in the southern city of Surani on the 28th, Fizo delivered a speech, welcoming Chinese companies to build factories and praising the cooperation between Slovakia and China.

In December last year, Guoxuan Hi-Tech announced that it planned to invest and build high-performance lithium batteries and supporting projects with an annual output of 20GWh in Slovakia, with a construction period of three years. On October 28 this year, the Guoxuan Slovakia Battery Super Factory held a groundbreaking ceremony in the Surani Industrial Park. More than 300 people attended the event, including Prime Minister Fizo, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Sakova, Deputy Prime Minister Komets, ministers of relevant ministries and Chairman of Guoxuan Li Zhen.

Bloomberg reported that Fizo said in his speech at the groundbreaking ceremony: "Our relationship with China is based on respect for international law and the principle of non-interference in each other's internal affairs." According to the Slovak "startitup" website, Fizo emphasized that cooperation with Chinese enterprises is a correct and forward-looking decision. Back in 2023, the project was already under discussion, he recalled. Fizzo said: "At that time, many people in the EU warned us not to do it, saying that it would bring'risks' to our country. But suddenly, the European Commission launched an official plan to provide more than 8 billion euros in subsidies for electric vehicle battery production."

Fizo said the start of the super-factory project was possible because the Slovak government pursued an independent foreign policy and believed that the plans developed jointly by the two sides and the support of the two sides will ensure that the set goals can be successfully achieved by 2027.

"startitup" quoted Slovak Minister of Economy Sakova as saying that the factory project is one of the large investment projects in Slovakia, which will create more than 1,000 new jobs and stimulate regional development.

Fizo has been struggling to attract more Chinese companies and has disagreed with some within the EU on issues such as the rule of law, energy, and Ukrainian policy.

The report mentioned that European Commission President Von der Leyen recently warned that Brussels is considering all options in response to China's plan to implement export controls on key raw materials. China stated that recent measures are normal practices to improve China's export control system in accordance with laws and regulations. Bloomberg recently reported that the European Commission will receive a China delegation this week to discuss rare earth control issues.