A delegation led by Czech Chamber of Deputies Speaker Marketa Pekarova Adamova yesterday arrived for a five-day visit, which is expected to include the signing of a joint statement of legislative cooperation.
A signing ceremony for the statement — which would be the first the legislature has inked with the legislative body of a country with which Taiwan does not have official diplomatic ties — is expected to take place on Wednesday, sources said.
They added that Adamova is to address the legislature on Tuesday, which would also be the first time a female leader of a legislature of a country with no formal ties with Taiwan has done so.
Photo: CNA
The joint statement is to include an agreement to exchange administrative staff for training and formalize representative groups from the legislatures to visit each other, the sources said.
Based on the mutual recognition of the universal values of freedom, democracy and human rights, the legislatures would also agree to foster collaborations across multiple fields to deepen Taiwan-Czech relations and to uphold the principles of democratic countries remaining united and friendly with each other, the sources said.
In addition to maintaining cordial relations, both sides would pledge to work together on the economy, science, technology, culture and education.
The legislatures are to agree to share information in fields that would be mutually beneficial, and both countries would trade know-how on national budget issues and matters such as the use of innovative communication technologies, the sources said.
In addition to providing opportunities for administrative staff from the legislatures to participate in exchange programs to learn from each other, the legislatures are to establish regular or intermittent group visits by lawmakers.
Legislative Speaker You Si-kun and Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) greeted the delegation of nearly 150 members at Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport).
Presidential Office spokeswoman Kolas Yotaka yesterday said the government welcomes the delegation, adding that President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) would meet with them tomorrow afternoon to exchange opinions on trade and industry collaboration.
Yu is to accompany Adamova on four out of the five days to highlight the importance Taiwan attaches to the visit, a source said.
The delegation includes Czech Chamber of Deputies Committee of Foreign Affairs Chairman Marek Zenisek, Committee on Safety Chairman Pavel Zacek, Czech-Taiwan Friendship Group Chairman Marek Benda and lawmaker Ivan Jac, as well as Czech senators Marek Vyborny and Ondrej Lochman.
The delegation also includes other Czech senators, government officials and representatives from government agencies.
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 final batch of 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks purchased from the US arrived at Taipei Port last night and were transported to the Armor Training Command in Hsinchu County’s Hukou Township (湖口), completing the military’s multi-year procurement of 108 of the tanks. Starting at 12:10am today, reporters observed more than a dozen civilian flatbed trailers departing from Taipei Port, each carrying an M1A2T tank covered with black waterproof tarps. Escorted by military vehicles, the convoy traveled via the West Coast Expressway to the Armor Training Command, with police implementing traffic control. The army operates about 1,000 tanks, including CM-11 Brave Tiger
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
PROVOCATIVE: Chinese Deputy Ambassador to the UN Sun Lei accused Japan of sending military vessels to deliberately provoke tensions in the Taiwan Strait China denounced remarks by Japan and the EU about the South China Sea at a UN Security Council meeting on Monday, and accused Tokyo of provocative behavior in the Taiwan Strait and planning military expansion. Ayano Kunimitsu, a Japanese vice foreign minister, told the Council meeting on maritime security that Tokyo was seriously concerned about the situation in the East China and South China seas, and reiterated Japan’s opposition to any attempt to change the “status quo” by force, and obstruction of freedom of navigation and overflight. Stavros Lambrinidis, head of the EU delegation to the UN, also highlighted South China Sea
RSS