Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil yesterday said that he is “Taiwanese,” as Taiwan and the Czech Republic share the common goal of defending democratic values.
Speaking at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei, Vystrcil began his speech by comparing the differences between the Czech and Taiwanese parliaments, with the former bicameral and the latter unicameral.
Although this would inevitably raise the question of which system works better, he said he believes there is not a single system that would be the best or would suit all nations, as countries in a free and democratic world have different criteria for functional democracy.
Photo: REUTERS
However, all legislative bodies in functional democratic systems uphold human life as the highest value, he added.
Laws are not passed to dictate what people should think or do, or to limit their natural desire for freedom, but to protect and care for them, and guarantee their basic rights and freedoms, Vystrcil said.
There is no perfect piece of legislation, as each law is merely an imperfect description of how lawmakers believe society should ideally function, he said.
Photo: CNA
As every law is bound to be imperfect, the fundamental role of democratic principles or the definition of the fundamental values and respect or such values is in the spotlight again, Vystrcil said.
As such, he believes that the legislative bodies of democratic nations not only have a responsibility to pass legislation, but also to defend democratic principles, he said.
Vystrcil said he is convinced that it is the duty and obligation of every democrat to support anyone who defends democratic institutions and who often establish democracy in difficult conditions.
He is therefore glad that he was able to visit the Legislative Yuan within the framework of parliamentary diplomacy to share experience and expand mutual cooperation, he said.
In 1963, then-US president John F. Kennedy, in criticizing communism, said: “Freedom is indivisible, and when one man is enslaved, all are not free,” Vystrcil said.
Just as Kennedy supported West Berlin’s pursuit of freedom by proclaiming “Ich bin ein Berliner,” Vystrcil said that he would also like to express his support for Taiwan and freedom with a more humble, but equally strong statement.
“I am Taiwanese,” he said in Mandarin.
Vystrcil said he wished Taiwan an independent, true and just future.
His statement that he is Taiwanese won him a standing ovation from lawmakers across party lines.
Asked by reporters about a remark on Monday by Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) that the Czech Republic would “pay” for sending a delegation to Taiwan, Vystrcil said that the visit does not go against Beijing’s “one China” principle.
He added that the Czech Republic has its “own interpretation” of that policy.
The Czech delegation is visiting Taiwan to consolidate partnership, reiterate the independent status of the Czech Republic and assert that it “would not follow the orders of non-democratic nations,” and would engage in exchanges with democratic nations with shared values, he said.
Prior to delivering his speech, Vystrcil was awarded the Legislative Yuan’s grand medal of diplomatic excellence and a model speaker’s gavel by Legislative Speaker You Si-kun (游錫堃).
In a statement, You lauded Vystrcil’s visit in the face of the Chinese Communist Party’s “wolf-warrior diplomacy” as the manifestation of the traditional defiant spirit of Czechs that have been evident in the Defenestrations of Prague, the Prague Spring and the Velvet Revolution.
Conflict with Taiwan could leave China with “massive economic disruption, catastrophic military losses, significant social unrest, and devastating sanctions,” a US think tank said in a report released on Monday. The German Marshall Fund released a report titled If China Attacks Taiwan: The Consequences for China of “Minor Conflict” and “Major War” Scenarios. The report details the “massive” economic, military, social and international costs to China in the event of a minor conflict or major war with Taiwan, estimating that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could sustain losses of more than half of its active-duty ground forces, including 100,000 troops. Understanding Chinese
AGING: As of last month, people aged 65 or older accounted for 20.06 percent of the total population and the number of couples who got married fell by 18,685 from 2024 Taiwan has surpassed South Korea as the country least willing to have children, with an annual crude birthrate of 4.62 per 1,000 people, Ministry of the Interior data showed yesterday. The nation was previously ranked the second-lowest country in terms of total fertility rate, or the average number of children a woman has in her lifetime. However, South Korea’s fertility rate began to recover from 2023, with total fertility rate rising from 0.72 and estimated to reach 0.82 to 0.85 by last year, and the crude birthrate projected at 6.7 per 1,000 people. Japan’s crude birthrate was projected to fall below six,
WARNING: If the defense budget is not approved by the legislature, systems such as the Harpoon missile coastal defense system would be impacted, Hsu Szu-chien said The armed forces have response protocols for a wide range of sudden contingencies, including the “Wan Chun Plan” to protect the head of state, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. After US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped deposed Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, concerns have been raised as to whether China would launch a similar “decapitation strike” on Taiwan. The armed forces regularly coordinate with government agencies and practice drills to ensure preparedness for a wide range of scenarios, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told reporters before a meeting at
Russia sent a submarine to escort an empty oil tanker that the US military has been pursuing and attempting to seize for weeks, US media reported on Tuesday. The US has been chasing the oil tanker, formerly known as the Bella 1, since it evaded a US blockade around Venezuela and thwarted a US Coast Guard attempt to board it last month. Since being pursued by the US Coast Guard, the vessel has switched its registration to Russia, changed its name to the Marinera and the tanker’s crew reportedly painted a Russian flag on the tanker last month. It had been en route
RSS