Jaroslav Tvrdík, former Czech Minister of Defense and adviser to President Milos Zeman, was appointed on the board of Chinese state-controlled CITIC Europe. Tvrdík’s appointment follows CITIC’s acquisition of the Czech assets once owned by private Chinese firm CEFC Energy; the latter company, which had invested widely in the Czech financial and tourism industries between 2015 and 2016, was forced to sell its assets to CITIC in 2018. A prominent Czech lawmaker, Tvrdík has occupied various positions in the Social Democratic Party, from defense minister to election manager. In 2013, President Zeman made Tvrdík his personal adviser on Czech-Chinese relations, and in 2015, Tvrdík was appointed Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors of CEFC’s European branch. Tvrdík maintained his position with CEFC until the 2018 acquisition by CITIC.