The six-day visit by a Czech delegation that left Taiwan on Friday night was a success for both nations, as a host of potential cooperation projects and comprehensive partnerships were mapped out, despite Beijing’s predictable threats and condemnations.
The goodwill engendered by the visit stands in stark contrast to the negative feelings left by Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi’s (王毅) five-nation tour of Europe, which ended early last week, partly because of his comment on Monday that the Czech Republic would “pay” for sending a delegation to Taiwan.
Wang’s trip was a crucial fence-mending tour to heal tensions created by the COVID-19 pandemic and Beijing’s efforts to control the narrative over the spread of the virus and any investigation into its origin, as well as to counter what it sees as Washington’s efforts to build a transatlantic coalition against China.
Although Wang had packed several gifts, including an offer to work with Europe on developing a COVID-19 vaccine, a broad-based investment deal and green energy proposals, he found that his hosts were more interested in answers to questions about SARS-CoV-2, Beijing’s National Security Law for Hong Kong, and the escalating repression and abuse of Uighurs and other ethnic groups in Xinjiang.
Wang’s threat over the delegation, led by Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil, was met with immediate and sharp rebukes from German, French and Czech officials, as well as Vystrcil’s evocative declaration during his speech at the Legislative Yuan on Tuesday that “I am Taiwanese.”
Once again, China shot itself in the foot — or perhaps the mouth — with its actions.
What is illuminating is the reaction of pundits and others to the Czech visit, with some, of course, blaming Taiwan’s government for antagonizing Beijing, while others blamed the US for stoking tensions in the Taiwan Strait.
For example, a South China Morning Post editorial on Thursday said that the US had set a bad example on Taiwan, as Vystrcil’s group had followed just days after US Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar visited Taipei, and could inspire other nations to make similar moves.
The newspaper said that Azar’s trip had “emboldened the Czech delegation,” ignoring that the Czech visit — which it called “provocative” — had been in the works for months, while Azar’s had been more hastily arranged.
It also said that Vystrcil’s speech to the legislature had crossed Beijing’s “one China” line, as it could appear to lend support to Taiwanese sovereignty.
Vystrcil said that although he had some concerns over Wang’s threats, his group’s visit was not about taking a stance against Beijing, or questioning its “one China” principle. It was about the Czech Republic’s sovereignty, improving cooperation between democratic nations and forging economic ties.
After all, Taiwan and China “have really tight economic connections,” he said.
The inherent criticism in some of the commentary over the visit — or almost any international action by Taiwan — is that it is Taiwan’s government, or its citizens or friends, who are to blame for angering or provoking Beijing, just as some would seek to blame long-running protests by pro-democracy advocates in Hong Kong for China’s new draconian legislation.
This is the same kind of mentality that has existed for far too long, in far too many places, toward victims of rape or domestic abuse — that they were dressed provocatively, had led on their assailant, had behaved in some way that incited their attacker — blaming the victim instead of holding the attacker responsible for their own actions.
Taiwanese, Czechs and so many others are not responsible for Beijing’s stupidity; only the Chinese Communist Party and China’s leadership are to blame.
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