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The leading promoter of the Czech-Chinese business, Jaroslav Tvrdík, ended up in executive positions in the Chinese group Citic Europe Holding, the successor of the former CEFC group, after ten years. The former defense minister and ČSSD politician made this move shortly after Citic sold the football club Slavia SK Prague to billionaire Pavlo Tykač. Tvrdík now wants to throw all his forces into the development of Slavia under the new owner.
“In connection with the sale of SK Slavia Praha to a new shareholder and with regard to my health, I have decided to adjust my time priorities and work commitment. That is why I left executive positions in Citic Europe Holding, including the position of Group Vice President or Chairman of the Board of Pivovary Lobkowicz Group,” said Tvrdík when asked by SZ Byznys.
“I will be working in Citic Europe Holding only as a member of the group’s board of directors and I want to focus more on the development of Slavia under Pavlo Tykač,” added Tvrdík.
In the last decade, Jaroslav Tvrdík was the main lobbyist for the interests of Chinese business in the Czech Republic. And not only as the president of the Mixed Czech-Chinese Chamber of Commerce, which he has been since 2014. Since the same year, Tvrdík has also been promoting the interests of the Chinese company CEFC in the Czech Republic.
Perhaps the most visible and successful investment of this group in 2015 was the football club Slavia. And Tvrdík, with a red and white scarf around his neck, became the boss of the “stitched”, which he still is.
However, the connection with CEFC almost proved fatal for Tvrdík. In 2018, CEFC head Jie-Jianming “disappeared” in China due to suspicion of financial crime. At the same time, the private Chinese holding did not pay its obligations to the Slovak-Czech group J&T. Billionaires led by Patrik Tkáč then took control of the Czech part of CEFC and Tvrdík had to leave the holding.
The uproar around CEFC was settled by the Chinese state holding Citic. He paid off the debts of J&T billionaires and took over the assets of CEFC. And in 2019, Tvrdík returned to the Chinese business in the jersey of the Citic group.
However, it has long been clear from Tvrdík’s performance that Slavia is his priority. Nevertheless, the former defense minister continues to have no problem moving even on the fringes of politics and diplomacy. Last year, for example, he met privately with Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang.
Jaroslav Tvrdík
- He was born in 1968. He graduated from the high school of economics in Chotěboř, then the Higher Military School of the Ground Forces in Vyškov, where he graduated in 1990 (majoring in military economics). Since the 1990s, he has worked in various positions at the Ministry of Defense and the Army of the Czech Republic. He served as director of the Military Spa and Recreation Facilities.
- Since 2000, he has been the Economic Deputy Minister of Defense. In the years 2001–2003, he was the Minister of Defense in the government of Miloš Zeman and the government of Vladimír Špidla. In the 2002 elections, he was elected to the Chamber of Deputies for the ČSSD.
- He remained in the House of Representatives until July 2003, when he resigned his mandate. In 2003, he also ended up as a minister.
- For several years he was the president and chairman of the board of Czech Airlines. As a member of the ČSSD, he also served as the party’s election manager. Former member of the management of CEFC Europe. Later, vice chairman of the board of CITIC Europe Holdings and head of the board of SK Slavia Praha. At the same time, he is the president of the Mixed Czech-Chinese Chamber of Mutual Cooperation.
- In 2022, Tvrdík was third in the ranking of the most influential personalities in Czech football.
