Taiwan’s Vice President, Hsiao Mei-chin, was followed by Chinese diplomatic personnel during her visit to the Czech Republic before taking office last year, which was reported by several mainstream Czech media outlets.
According to a report by Radio Prague International, the Taiwan issue has strained relations between the Czech Republic and China, with the possibility that China’s intelligence activities could escalate tensions between Prague and Beijing beyond their original level, quoting Czech sinologist Martin Hála’s view that “current Czech-Chinese relations have plummeted to freezing point.”
Hsiao Mei-chin embarked on a three-day visit to the Czech Republic on March 18 last year, during which she met with the Senate leadership including Senate President Miloš Vystrčil. However, it was later revealed that she was followed by Chinese diplomatic personnel during her visit to the Czech Republic.
Last week, Czech Radio (Český rozhlas) was the first to reveal that the Czech Military Intelligence confirmed that Chinese intelligence units had attempted to carry out destructive actions against a protected individual. The report further indicated that this operation even planned to intercept Hsiao Mei-chin’s vehicle. Other Czech media outlets such as Radio Prague International, mainstream media iDNES.cz, Seznam Zprávy, and news site Britské listy have cited Czech Radio and continued to report on the incident.
Radio Prague International reported that “the Taiwan issue has strained Czech-Chinese relations.” Although the Czech Republic has not officially recognized Taiwan, the two sides maintain close unofficial relations. Late Czech Senate President Jaroslav Kubera also faced pressure from China for planning a visit to Taiwan in 2020, ultimately passing away just days before departure, with Taiwan posthumously awarding him the “Special Grand Cordon of the Cloud and Banner Order.”
The report stated that China’s intelligence activities could intensify the already tense relationship between Prague and Beijing. The founder of the Czech think tank “Sinopsis,” Martin Hála, pointed out that “China is a Leninist one-party dictatorship state, and bilateral relations with it have their uniqueness. Traditional diplomatic procedures are of little use in such relationships. The most crucial thing is the overall atmosphere, and currently, relations between the two sides have plummeted to a freezing point.”
Mainstream Czech media outlets iDNES.cz, Seznam Zprávy, and news site Britské listy, among others, also followed up on the report of Hsiao Mei-chin being tracked by the Chinese side during her visit to the Czech Republic, with the Chinese actions bordering on being a threat, but Hsiao Mei-chin stated she will not be intimidated.
iDNES.cz also mentioned that “tensions between Beijing and Prague have been escalating recently. In May of this year, the Czech government accused China of launching cyberattacks against the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”
(Source: Central News Agency)