Former President of Taiwan Tsai Ing-wen’s visit to the Czech Republic has sparked controversy with the Chinese Communist Party. During her visit to Prague, Tsai met with senior Czech officials and delivered a speech at a conference on democracy and human rights.
On Tuesday, the Chinese Embassy in the Czech Republic expressed dissatisfaction with Tsai Ing-wen’s visit to Prague. The Embassy stated on its website that China’s position on the Taiwan issue remains consistent and clear, urging the Czech Republic to adhere to China’s so-called One China principle and respect China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
On Monday, Tsai Ing-wen spoke at the “Forum 2000” conference held in Prague, where she shook hands with Czech President Petr Pavel. Tsai also met with the President of the Czech Senate, Milos Vystrcil, and the President of the Czech Chamber of Deputies, Marketa Pekarova Adamova, both of whom have visited Taiwan.
Tsai Ing-wen criticized authoritarian regimes for attempting to spread their political system to other countries through means like information warfare, threats, and even invasion, in an increasingly aggressive manner to undermine democratic societies. She emphasized Taiwan’s position at the forefront of attacks from these authoritarian regimes, citing recent military exercises conducted by China.
“For over half a century, Taiwan has faced constant threats from the Chinese Communist Party, which has sought to annex Taiwan by all means. As Taiwan becomes an integral part of the international community, these threats will only escalate,” she stated.
The annual “Forum 2000” conference was initiated by former Czech President Vaclav Havel, bringing together leaders and thinkers from around the world to discuss democracy, human rights, and civil society.
Last January, when Tsai was still President of Taiwan and Petr Pavel was the President-elect of the Czech Republic, Pavel’s phone call with Tsai also angered the Chinese authorities.
During Monday’s conference, Pavel called on Beijing to use its influence to help end the war in Ukraine and urged respect for human rights and restraint in the Taiwan Strait, though he did not directly mention China’s military exercises around Taiwan.
Like many countries, the Czech Republic does not have formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan. However, as Beijing intensifies military threats against Taiwan and Taiwan seeks to establish new friendly relations in Eastern and Central Europe, ties between Taiwan and the Czech Republic have grown closer.
On Monday, the Chinese military conducted new military exercises near Taiwan, drawing condemnation from Taiwan, the United States, Europe, and Japan, among others.