On April 15, 2025, Czech Deputy Speaker of the House Jan Bartošek met with Taiwan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu. Minister Wu stated that Taiwan will strengthen cooperation with like-minded countries such as the Czech Republic to enhance their democratic resilience. Bartošek emphasized the importance of democratic countries working together to combat information warfare and threats of disinformation from China and Russia.
Minister Joseph Wu received Czech Deputy Speaker Jan Bartošek on the morning of April 14, 2025. They exchanged views on Taiwan-Czech bilateral relations, countering disinformation, and information security issues.
Wu expressed gratitude for Czech Republic’s longstanding support for Taiwan’s international participation. Taiwan and Czech Republic have close cooperation in areas such as economy, technology, and culture. For instance, this September, artifacts from the National Palace Museum will be exhibited in Czech Republic. Additionally, there are plans to increase flights between Taiwan and Czech Republic in the second half of this year, showcasing the strong and friendly relations between the two countries.
Minister Wu mentioned that Taiwan has long faced cyber attacks, manipulation of disinformation, and cognitive warfare from the Chinese Communist Party. Taiwan understands the threats that authoritarian regimes pose to democratic systems. “Our country will strengthen cooperation with like-minded countries, including the Czech Republic, to enhance each other’s democratic resilience.”
Deputy Speaker Bartošek highlighted that in recent years, authoritarian countries have been using cyber attacks and disinformation to undermine the democratic systems of other countries. Particularly, the “deep fake” technology powered by artificial intelligence makes it difficult for the public to distinguish between genuine and fake audiovisual information, while social media algorithms deepen societal divisions. Democratic countries must collaborate to resist the information warfare and disinformation threats from China and Russia.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China stated that Taiwan and Czech Republic both deeply recognize the importance of defending the values of democracy and freedom. In recent years, they have continued to strengthen cooperation in enhancing the resilience of democratic supply chains. “In the future, our country will further deepen the partnership with Czech Republic to address emerging security challenges and authoritarian threats.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China announced that Czech Deputy Speaker of the House Jan Bartošek visited Taiwan from the 13th to the 16th. He previously visited Taiwan in 2016. During this visit, apart from meeting Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu, Bartošek also met with the Secretary General of the National Security Council, David Wu, and the Ministry of Digital Development. He was invited to attend this year’s “CYBERSEC 2025 Taiwan Cybersecurity Conference,” where he delivered a keynote speech and participated in cybersecurity activities, witnessing the research and development achievements of Taiwan’s independent cybersecurity companies.