In May 2025, according to the media outlet N1, a Chinese delegation led by senior Communist Party official Chen Zhou, Vice Minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, secretly visited Slovenia. The visit, which took place without public announcements or photographs, raised questions about transparency, especially in the wake of the scandal involving controversial Chinese USB flash drives with malware. The secret meeting of Slovenian politicians with a Chinese party representative is, according to diplomat Kajzer, a scandal that Slovenia should not have been part of.
Party official Chen Zhou (influential in Chinese foreign policy) met with some Slovenian politicians and former President Danilo Türk, but none of the participants publicly disclosed the details of the meeting, which was described as informal. With the Social Democrats party (Socialni demokrati – SD) delegation, led by the party’s president and Minister of the Economy Matjaž Han, Zhou discussed bilateral relations between the two countries and parties, as well as current international issues such as customs, according to the media outlet N1.
The meeting, which took place in a hotel in Ljubljana and lasted about half an hour, was partly limited due to translation. Han added that economic relations were mentioned, but without concrete projects. He said that the purpose of the visit was not entirely clear to him. The discussion with the representatives of the Left party (Levica) – the leader of the parliamentary group, Matej Tašner Vatovec, and the Secretary-General, Matej Zupanc, focused on inter-parliamentary relations and global issues. The Left party stressed its positions on human rights, international law and the importance of peace, but the meeting at the party’s premises lasted less than half an hour and ended without any commitments.
MP Gregorič chatted with the delegation “in a bar”
Melita Gabrič, State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, also met with the delegation – at the request of the Chinese side. They discussed the development of relations between Slovenia and China, global trade issues, EU-China relations and economic cooperation, including the impact of US-China tariff measures. Miroslav Gregorič, MP of the ruling Freedom Movement party (Gibanje Svoboda) and Chairman of the National Assembly’s China Friendship Group, met the delegation in a bar in Ljubljana.
Instead of Nataša Pirc Musar, the meetings happened with “first-class” political representatives
The discussion was of a courteous nature, with MP Gregorič advocating a balanced trade in goods and pointing to the lack of direct air links between Slovenia and China, which some countries in the neighbourhood have. With former President Danilo Türk, Mr Zhou discussed strengthening China’s ties with Central Europe. Türk, who supports economic cooperation, mentioned the possibility of Chinese investment in the modernisation of Slovenian railways.
The visit was covered up in Slovenia, but publicly reported on in Slovakia
Türk also announced the arrival of a second Chinese delegation. The secrecy of the visit, which was not commented on by the Chinese Embassy, is in contrast to Slovakia, where the visit between the 15th and the 17th of May was publicly reported. The Secretariat of the National Security Council has warned caution in dealing with China in a tense geopolitical situation, which further underlines the questionable nature of the non-transparent visit.
Diplomat Kajzer: “This is a scandal that Slovenia should not afford to engage in!”
Tone Kajzer, former Slovenian Ambassador to the USA, pointed out in reference to the events: “It is very simple. The Chinese or the Communist Party of China, who do not have good intentions, came to Slovenia to check who they can count on. This is a scandal that Slovenia should not afford to engage in. A mysterious visit to Slovenia by a senior Chinese party official, about which everyone kept quiet.”
C. Š.
