Delegation from Czech Republic visits Taiwan, snubbing mainland China
A high-ranking delegation from the Czech Republic has arrived in Taiwan, just weeks after a US secretary visited the self-ruled island in breach of the internationally-practiced “One China” policy.
Leading a 90-member delegation, Czech Senate Speaker Milos Vystrcil arrived in Taoyuan, near Taipei, on Sunday.
Vystrcil said the purpose of the visit was to promote “business” links with Taiwan. But it was meant to be a snub of the Chinese government, which claims sovereignty over self-ruled Taiwan and opposes official exchanges with it.
The Czech Republic officially recognizes Chinese sovereignty over Taiwan, and the Sunday visit was a breach of the Czech government’s own policy.
Ahead of the trip, Vystrcil himself had attacked China by saying that the Czech Republic would not bow to Beijing’s demands. “You cannot accept being someone’s servant, because if you do, then when you obey once, it’s assumed that you obey every time,” Vystrcil had told Reuters.
The Czech official is scheduled to deliver a speech to Taiwan’s parliament and meet president Tsai Ing-wen during the five-day trip.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian on Thursday condemned the planned visit and called it a “despicable act.”
The trip was the second high-level visit to Taiwan, after US Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar visited the island earlier this month, carrying a message of support for the secessionist government of Taiwan.
Beijing reacted to that visit by saying that the US was “playing with fire.”
Beijing opposes any official exchanges between foreign governments and Taiwan. It has pursued Taiwan’s reunification ever since the island broke away from the mainland during a civil war in 1949. China claims full sovereignty over the island under the “One China” policy and almost all world countries recognize that sovereignty.
The United States, which has long courted Taipei in an attempt to unnerve Beijing, has recently ramped up its anti-China posturing. On August 23, a United States representative in Taiwan who is deemed to be the de facto ambassador of the country on the island, for the first time joined a controversial ceremony commemorating the anniversary of Taiwan’s last major battle with China.
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