Czech MEP Detained at Beijing Airport in Targeted Border Interrogation

Gregorová, vice-chair of the European Parliament’s China group, remains the only member of the diplomatic mission to face such scrutiny. Despite presenting her diplomatic passport and an official invitation, officials confiscated her travel documents and prohibited her from using a mobile device during the ordeal. The incident follows recent trade negotiations between EU Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič and his Chinese counterparts.

The MEP views the detention as a direct retaliation for her political stance, specifically referencing the recent arrest of a Chinese national on espionage charges in the Czech Republic. By isolating her at the border, Chinese authorities utilized what she characterizes as pseudo-scare tactics against a visiting lawmaker intended to participate in formal trade talks between Brussels and Beijing.