Czech president-elect Petr Pavel spoke by telephone with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday, a highly unusual move given the lack of formal ties and a diplomatic coup for Taipei.
Tsai spoke with Pavel for 15 minutes in a harmonious atmosphere, Presidential Office spokeswoman Lin Yu-chan (林聿禪) said, adding that Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) was also present during the conversation.
Lin quoted Pavel as telling Tsai that Taiwan is a trustworthy partner, adding that the Czech Republic stands firmly on the side of democracy and supports Taiwan in maintaining a lively democratic system free from authoritarian coercion.
Photo: EPA and Taipei Times
The Czech Republic would boost cooperation with Taiwan in all aspects, he added.
Most nations’ leaders avoid high-level public interactions with Taiwan and its president, not wishing to provoke China, the world’s second-largest economy.
Then-US president-elect Donald Trump in 2016 spoke by telephone with Tsai shortly after winning the election, setting off a storm of protest from Beijing.
Photo courtesy of the Presidential Office
Pavel, a retired general who served as the head of NATO’s military committee from 2015 to 2018, beat populist billionaire Andrej Babis in a presidential runoff.
He is due to take the oath of office on March 9 and replace Czech President Milos Zeman, who promoted friendly ties with China and Russia until Moscow invaded Ukraine in February last year.
Analysts said that Pavel’s approach would be very different from Zeman’s with a strong pro-Western drive focusing on ties with the EU and NATO.
Pavel, a staunch supporter of war-torn Ukraine and of its bid to join the EU, talked to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy by telephone on Sunday.
In an interview with the Czech Radio, Pavel said he would support his nation’s links with Taiwan, a major investor in the Czech Republic.
Prague officially pursues a “one China” policy, like the EU, but Czech officials foster close ties with Taiwan.
Pavel said the “one China” policy should be supplemented with a “two system” principle.
“There is nothing wrong if we have specific relations with Taiwan, which is the other system,” Pavel said. “It is definitely in our interest to retain active business and maybe also scientific relations with Taiwan.”
The Presidential Office on Sunday said that Tsai had offered her congratulations to Pavel on his victory.
Asked about Tsai reportedly having the call with Pavel, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) yesterday said that all dialogues and friendships with democratic nations or other countries are welcome.
Taipei has sought to bolster its relations with European nations by stressing the shared values of freedom and democracy, especially as Beijing ratchets up its threats.
Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil visited Taiwan in 2020 and declared himself to be Taiwanese in a speech at the legislature in Taipei, channeling late US president John F. Kennedy’s defiance of communism in Berlin in 1963.
Additional reporting by Chen Yun and Lin Liang-sheng
Taiwan is projected to lose a working-age population of about 6.67 million people in two waves of retirement in the coming years, as the nation confronts accelerating demographic decline and a shortage of younger workers to take their place, the Ministry of the Interior said. Taiwan experienced its largest baby boom between 1958 and 1966, when the population grew by 3.78 million, followed by a second surge of 2.89 million between 1976 and 1982, ministry data showed. In 2023, the first of those baby boom generations — those born in the late 1950s and early 1960s — began to enter retirement, triggering
ECONOMIC BOOST: Should the more than 23 million people eligible for the NT$10,000 handouts spend them the same way as in 2023, GDP could rise 0.5 percent, an official said Universal cash handouts of NT$10,000 (US$330) are to be disbursed late next month at the earliest — including to permanent residents and foreign residents married to Taiwanese — pending legislative approval, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. The Executive Yuan yesterday approved the Special Act for Strengthening Economic, Social and National Security Resilience in Response to International Circumstances (因應國際情勢強化經濟社會及民生國安韌性特別條例). The NT$550 billion special budget includes NT$236 billion for the cash handouts, plus an additional NT$20 billion set aside as reserve funds, expected to be used to support industries. Handouts might begin one month after the bill is promulgated and would be completed within
The National Development Council (NDC) yesterday unveiled details of new regulations that ease restrictions on foreigners working or living in Taiwan, as part of a bid to attract skilled workers from abroad. The regulations, which could go into effect in the first quarter of next year, stem from amendments to the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals (外國專業人才延攬及僱用法) passed by lawmakers on Aug. 29. Students categorized as “overseas compatriots” would be allowed to stay and work in Taiwan in the two years after their graduation without obtaining additional permits, doing away with the evaluation process that is currently required,
RELEASED: Ko emerged from a courthouse before about 700 supporters, describing his year in custody as a period of ‘suffering’ and vowed to ‘not surrender’ Former Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) was released on NT$70 million (US$2.29 million) bail yesterday, bringing an end to his year-long incommunicado detention as he awaits trial on corruption charges. Under the conditions set by the Taipei District Court on Friday, Ko must remain at a registered address, wear a GPS-enabled ankle monitor and is prohibited from leaving the country. He is also barred from contacting codefendants or witnesses. After Ko’s wife, Peggy Chen (陳佩琪), posted bail, Ko was transported from the Taipei Detention Center to the Taipei District Court at 12:20pm, where he was fitted with the tracking
RSS