The Czech Republic’s Senate on Wednesday passed a resolution that supports a possible visit by the senate president to Taiwan.
The resolution, initiated by Czech Senator Pavel Fischer, was passed with 50 votes in favor, one against and one abstention.
The resolution blasts Beijing for having its Prague embassy send a letter to former Czech Senate president Jaroslav Kubera earlier this year threatening repercussions for Czech businesses if he visited Taiwan.
Photo: Screen grab from Milos Vystrcil’s Facebook page
The resolution shows the Senate’s support for a visit to Taiwan by Senate President Milos Vystrcil, accompanied by Czech business representatives, as the visit would be in the diplomatic long-term interests of the Czech Republic, the resolution stated.
Vystrcil said he has yet to make a final decision on whether to visit Taiwan, but the more China issues threats, the more likely it is for him to visit.
Vystrcil’s predecessor, Kubera, who passed away on Jan. 20 at the age of 72, was a long-time supporter of Taiwan, and had been preparing to visit Taipei in February.
Following his death, Czech media made public the Chinese embassy’s threat toward Kubera.
Kubera’s family later said that the threat contributed to his death.
In March, Czech government officials, including Czech President Milos Zeman, Cabinet members and legislative leaders, issued a joint statement condemning China’s actions.
The statement also said that the Czech Republic intends to continue cooperating with Taiwan in the fields of economics and culture without contravening Beijing’s “one China” principle or breaking the country’s diplomatic ties with China.
Vystrcil said that his office received telephone calls from the Chinese embassy, warning him against congratulating President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on her second-term inauguration on Wednesday.
In Taipei, Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said that the ministry would welcome a visit from a Czech politician.
Separately yesterday, Legislative Speaker Yu Shyi-kun (游錫堃) welcomed Vystrcil on Facebook, hoping that he would visit Taiwan after the pandemic eases.
While Zeman is considered a supporter of China, Czech Senate Vice President Miluse Horska, Prague Mayor Zdenek Hrib and Czech Chamber of Deputies member Marek Benda, who chairs the Czech Republic-Taiwan Friendship Group, sent their congratulations to Tsai in video clips.
CALL FOR SUPPORT: President William Lai called on lawmakers across party lines to ensure the livelihood of Taiwanese and that national security is protected President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday called for bipartisan support for Taiwan’s investment in self-defense capabilities at the christening and launch of two coast guard vessels at CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard in Kaohsiung. The Taipei (台北) is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels, and the Siraya (西拉雅) is the Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) first-ever ocean patrol vessel, the government said. The Taipei is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels with a displacement of about 4,000 tonnes, Lai said. This ship class was ordered as a result of former president Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) 2018
‘SECRETS’: While saying China would not attack during his presidency, Donald Trump declined to say how Washington would respond if Beijing were to take military action US President Donald Trump said that China would not take military action against Taiwan while he is president, as the Chinese leaders “know the consequences.” Trump made the statement during an interview on CBS’ 60 Minutes program that aired on Sunday, a few days after his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in South Korea. “He [Xi] has openly said, and his people have openly said at meetings, ‘we would never do anything while President Trump is president,’ because they know the consequences,” Trump said in the interview. However, he repeatedly declined to say exactly how Washington would respond in
WARFARE: All sectors of society should recognize, unite, and collectively resist and condemn Beijing’s cross-border suppression, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng said The number of Taiwanese detained because of legal affairs by Chinese authorities has tripled this year, as Beijing intensified its intimidation and division of Taiwanese by combining lawfare and cognitive warfare, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) made the statement in response to questions by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Puma Shen (沈柏洋) about the government’s response to counter Chinese public opinion warfare, lawfare and psychological warfare. Shen said he is also being investigated by China for promoting “Taiwanese independence.” He was referring to a report published on Tuesday last week by China’s state-run Xinhua news agency,
‘NOT SUBORDINATE’: Only Taiwanese can decide the nation’s future, and people preserving their democratic way of life is not a provocation, President William Lai said Taiwan does not want China’s “one country, two systems,” and must uphold its freedom and democracy as well as resolve to defend itself, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, rejecting Beijing’s latest bid to bring the country under Chinese control. The president made the remarks while attending a commissioning ceremony for Taiwan’s first battalion of M1A2T Abrams tanks in Hsinchu County’s Hukou Township (湖口). The tanks are made by General Dynamics, a major US defense contractor. China this week said it “absolutely will not” rule out using force over Taiwan, striking a much tougher tone than a series of articles in state media
RSS