According to the report from Czech Radio’s website “iROZHLAS” on Wednesday (June 25), the country’s intelligence agency has concluded that the incident in which the vehicle of Taiwanese Vice President Tsai Ing-wen was rear-ended during her visit to the Czech Republic in 2024 was not an accident, but a deliberate act planned by the Chinese embassy.
In March 2024, Tsai Ing-wen visited Prague for the first time as the President-elect of Taiwan and met with the leadership of the Czech Senate, which angered the Chinese Communist Party.
Media reports from that time indicated that a Chinese military attache from the embassy was tracking and monitoring Tsai Ing-wen’s convoy, and even ran a red light at an intersection, nearly colliding with the convoy. The Czech Foreign Ministry subsequently engaged in discussions with the Chinese side.
Petr Bartovský, the Director of Czech Military Intelligence, confirmed that Beijing’s intention was to intimidate Tsai Ing-wen.
He stated, “We even recorded that the Chinese intelligence services attempted to create conditions for a provocative action, but these actions were only in the preparation phase.”
According to sources cited by Czech Radio, the Chinese action plan included colliding with the vehicle carrying Tsai Ing-wen. However, at that time, Tsai Ing-wen was not in real danger. This was due to the close proximity of Czech security forces to the location of the Chinese operation, ready to intervene at any sign of a real threat.
The report indicated that this operation was carried out by the military department of the Chinese embassy. Three Chinese diplomats from this department had already begun deployment before Tsai Ing-wen arrived at the Czech airport.
Czech diplomatic officials revealed that Czech Republic has no intention to expel Chinese diplomats, but has expressed dissatisfaction to the Chinese Ambassador.
Miloš Vystrčil, the President of the Czech Senate, condemned the Chinese action, stating, “This is highly inappropriate behavior, which I find unacceptable. We should respond as a sovereign and confident nation… We must realize that we live in a world more dangerous than ever before.”
This incident highlights the tensions between Taiwan and China, as well as the growing assertiveness of Chinese diplomatic and intelligence activities in foreign countries. It also underscores the importance of diplomatic relations and security cooperation among nations in the face of such challenges.