French and German officials yesterday criticized Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) over a threat he issued because of Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil’s visit to Taiwan.
Wang was on a five-nation visit to Europe to counter US pressure on issues such as democracy in Hong Kong and data security regarding apps such as TikTok and WeChat, which US President Donald Trump is seeking to ban.
However, Wang’s trip was overshadowed by comments he made on Monday, when he called Vystrcil’s visit to Taiwan a “provocation” and said that the senate president would “pay a heavy price.”
Photo: Reuters
French Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Agnes von der Muhll on Tuesday said that the Europe-China relationship must be based on the principle of dialogue and reciprocity, as well as mutual respect, and that the EU would not accept threats made to one its member countries, French media reported.
German Minister of Foreign Affairs Heiko Maas echoed the sentiment, saying that while the EU welcomed foreign partnerships, it expected respect from them.
“Threats have no place here [in Europe],” Maas said.
Europe must be confident in its protection of its own interests and must avoid becoming a puppet of powerful nations like the US, Russia or China, he said, adding that he had communicated Germany’s support for the Czech Republic to Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs Tomas Petricek.
Maas also criticized China over human rights abuses, including mass internment of Uighurs in camps in Xinjiang and its implementation of national security legislation in Hong Kong.
Maas called on China to redact the Hong Kong legislation, to implement universal suffrage in the territory and to uphold its “one China, two countries” framework that promises a high degree of autonomy to Hong Kong and Macau.
However, Wang said that Xinjiang and Hong Kong were China’s internal matters and that foreign interference was unwelcome.
Slovak President Zuzana Caputova also spoke out about Wang’s threat to Vystrcil, tweeting that “#Slovakia stands by the Czech Republic. #EU-#China relations are based on dialogue and mutual respect.”
Slovakia and the Czech Republic were previously one nation, Czechoslovakia, but separated in 1993 and today maintain close ties.
“Threats directed at one of the EU members and its representatives contradict the very essence of our partnership and as such are unacceptable,” Caputova wrote.
Meanwhile, European Commission foreign affairs spokesman Peter Stano said that he was “unhappy to see such diplomatic language,” and that China and the Czech Republic should engage in dialogue.
The EU and China would continue to discuss Taiwan, Hong Kong and other issues, Stano said.
LEVERAGE: China did not ‘need to fire a shot’ to deny Taiwan airspace over Africa when it owns ‘half the continent’s debt,’ a US official said, calling it economic warfare The EU has raised concerns about overflight rights following the delay of President William Lai’s (賴清德) planned state visit to the Kingdom of Eswatini after three African nations denied overflight clearance for his charter at the last minute. Taiwanese allies Paraguay and Saint Kitts and Nevis, as well as several US lawmakers and the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) condemned China for allegedly pressuring the countries. Lai was scheduled to fly directly to Taiwan’s only African ally from yesterday to Sunday to celebrate the 40th anniversary of King Mswati III’s accession and his 58th birthday, but Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar suddenly revoked
The number of pet cats in Taiwan surpassed that of pet dogs for the first time last year, reaching 1,742,033, a 32.8 percent increase from 2023, the Ministry of Agriculture said yesterday, citing a survey. By contrast, the number of pet dogs declined slightly by 1.2 percent over the same period to 1,462,528, the ministry said. Despite the shift, households with dogs still slightly outnumber those with cats by 1.2 percent. However, while the number of households with multiple dogs has remained relatively stable, households keeping more than two cats have increased, contributing to the overall rise in the feline population. The trend
China on Wednesday teased in a video an aircraft carrier that could be its fourth, and the first using nuclear power, while making an allusion to Taiwan and vowing to further build up its islands, as it looks to boost maritime power, secure resources and bolster territorial claims. The video, issued on the eve of the 77th founding anniversary of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy, featured fictional officers with names that are homophones of three commissioned aircraft carriers, the Liaoning (遼寧), Shandong (山東) and Fujian (福建). Titled Into the Deep, it showed a 19-year-old named “Hejian” (何劍) joining the group, sparking
Taiwan has signed six arms procurement offers from the US totaling more than NT$208 billion (US$6.59 billion) covering long-range precision strike systems, missile stockpile replenishment and joint production of large-caliber ammunition, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. The government’s proposed NT$1.25 trillion special defense budget has been stalled in the Legislative Yuan as opposition lawmakers question the amount and procurement items, while the Presidential Office and defense ministry say that the full amount is necessary to safeguard Taiwan. Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) on Monday briefed the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee on the defense budget for
RSS