Ever since Zdenek Hrib became mayor of Prague in November 2018, City Hall in the capital of the Czech Republic has been a near-constant thorn in the side of the Chinese government.
The 38-year-old mayor, a doctor by profession, has taken a clinical look at Beijing’s aggressive political interference within his country and resolved to fight back. His dealings with Chinese officials have been deliciously undiplomatic — a refreshing change from the growing number of invertebrate politicians and businesses worldwide who run up the white flag as soon as Beijing complains.
In January last year, Hrib was hosting a meeting of foreign diplomats in Prague when Chinese Ambassador to the Czech Republic Zhang Jianmin (張建敏) asked the mayor to expel the Taiwanese representative. Hrib refused.
He terminated a sister-city agreement signed by his predecessor with Beijing that required Prague to adhere to Beijing’s “one China” principle and signed a new one with Taipei.
He restored flying the Tibetan flag from Prague City Hall, hosted Lobsang Sangay, the head of Tibet’s government-in-exile, and traveled to Taiwan to meet with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文).
Beijing threw its toys out of the stroller.
Over the next few months, in a fit of pique, it canceled tours to China by the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, Radio Symphony Orchestra and two other Prague-based classical ensembles.
Hrib did not back down. In an article in the Washington Post on Dec. 23 last year, he branded China an “unreliable business partner,” defended his policies and urged other politicians to stand up to Beijing.
On Jan. 10, the Chinese embassy in the Czech Republic sent a letter to Czech President Milos Zeman, threatening retaliation against Czech companies if then-Czech Senate president Jaroslav Kubera — who died on Jan. 20 — went ahead with a planned trade visit to Taiwan.
The letter, leaked to international media, appears to have jolted the Czech government out of its comatose state.
Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis on Tuesday intervened, asking Beijing to replace its ambassador.
Some might wonder why Czech politicians have stuck their heads above the parapet. There is undoubtedly a personal connection: Hrib studied in Taiwan as an exchange student and has said he often reminisces about the time he spent here.
History provides a more complete answer.
The first Czech Republic — then called Czechoslovakia — was founded in 1918 out of the dying embers of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, although the origins of Czech language and culture date back to the Middle Ages.
Between the two world wars, democracy flourished, but was snuffed out in March 1939 when Czechoslovakia was annexed by Nazi Germany. During occupation, 250,000 Czechs died, most of them in concentration camps. The majority were intellectuals and members of the middle class, who were targeted by the Nazis to wipe out Czech identity.
After ridding themselves of one tyranny, the country was overrun by another when Red Army tanks rolled into Prague in 1945. Czechoslovakia was ruled by a proxy dictatorship of the Soviet Union until the 1989 Velvet Revolution restored democracy.
The plucky Czechs understand authoritarian governments better than perhaps any other people on the planet. This is why Prague’s mayor has led the way by refusing to compromise on his country’s ideals of democracy and freedom of speech.
After siding with Taiwan, the sky has not fallen: Prague is doing fine. Hrib is riding high in opinion polls, having done a lot to restore his country’s dignity following years of Zeman kowtowing to Beijing.
Politicians everywhere should take note.
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