The Czech Republic supports Taiwan’s international participation and is determined to consolidate long-term cooperation with the nation, Czech Chamber of Deputies Speaker Marketa Pekarova Adamova said yesterday during a meeting with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文).
Adamova is leading a 160-member delegation on a five-day visit to Taiwan until tomorrow to “show support for Taiwan’s democracy,” she said.
The Czech Republic is looking to expand and deepen cooperation with Taiwan to bring benefits to both sides as well as third parties, she added.
Photo: CNA
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Czech Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei, celebrating close and stable relations between the two nations, Adamova said.
Taiwan is the Czech Republic’s priority democratic partner in Asia, she said, adding that “peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is the necessary condition for security and prosperity in the world.”
She voiced support for Taiwan’s efforts to join the WHO, the International Civil Aviation Organization and other international bodies, as the nation “has the right to share its expertise and learn from other countries.”
Shared values, most importantly freedom, democracy and human rights, can help the two nations withstand pressure from the outside, Adamova said.
She said she was delighted by the news that China Airlines Ltd (中華航空) would offer twice-weekly direct flights between Taiwan and Prague starting in July, adding that the route would be beneficial to both nations.
Tsai thanked Adamova for visiting Taiwan despite ongoing pressure from China, calling the trip “an important milestone for the Taiwan-Czech relationship.”
After speaking on the telephone with Czech President Petr Pavel, the two leaders believe that Taiwan and the Czech Republic can boost cooperation in all fields based on their friendly ties, she said.
Many Taiwanese businesses have shown an interest in investing in the Czech Republic after the Central and Eastern Europe Investment Fund was established last year, which indicates that more cooperation between the two sides can be expected, she added.
In related news, the Czech Hub in Taiwan opened yesterday to promote cooperation between companies, academic institutions, start-ups, cultural institutions and non-governmental organizations in Taiwan and the Czech Republic.
The hub, which was established by the European Values Center for Security Policy Taiwan Office and the Czech-Taiwanese Business Chamber with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, would serve as a platform for Czech and Taiwanese partners in various fields, Adamova said at the opening ceremony.
The Czech Republic “would like to become Taiwan’s best friend in Europe,” she said, calling on other nations to set up similar hubs in Taiwan to boost ties with the nation.
As European nations are seeking to reduce their reliance on Beijing, working with Taiwan, a democratic nation with a free market, has become an attractive option, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Roy Lee (李淳) said.
While breakthroughs in official relations between Taiwan and European nations are difficult to predict, there would be more opportunities for Europe to deepen and broaden cooperation with Taiwan, he said.
US PUBLICATION: The results indicated a change in attitude after a 2023 survey showed 55 percent supported full-scale war to achieve unification, the report said More than half of Chinese were against the use of force to unify with Taiwan under any circumstances, a survey conducted by the Atlanta, Georgia-based Carter Center and Emory University found. The survey results, which were released on Wednesday in a report titled “Sovereignty, Security, & US-China Relations: Chinese Public Opinion,” showed that 55.1 percent of respondents agreed or somewhat agreed that “the Taiwan problem should not be resolved using force under any circumstances,” while 24.5 percent “strongly” or “somewhat” disagreed with the statement. The results indicated a change in attitude after a survey published in “Assessing Public Support for (Non)Peaceful Unification
The CIA has a message for Chinese government officials worried about their place in Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) government: Come work with us. The agency released two Mandarin-language videos on social media on Thursday inviting disgruntled officials to contact the CIA. The recruitment videos posted on YouTube and X racked up more than 5 million views combined in their first day. The outreach comes as CIA Director John Ratcliffe has vowed to boost the agency’s use of intelligence from human sources and its focus on China, which has recently targeted US officials with its own espionage operations. The videos are “aimed at
STEADFAST FRIEND: The bills encourage increased Taiwan-US engagement and address China’s distortion of UN Resolution 2758 to isolate Taiwan internationally The Presidential Office yesterday thanked the US House of Representatives for unanimously passing two Taiwan-related bills highlighting its solid support for Taiwan’s democracy and global participation, and for deepening bilateral relations. One of the bills, the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act, requires the US Department of State to periodically review its guidelines for engagement with Taiwan, and report to the US Congress on the guidelines and plans to lift self-imposed limitations on US-Taiwan engagement. The other bill is the Taiwan International Solidarity Act, which clarifies that UN Resolution 2758 does not address the issue of the representation of Taiwan or its people in
SHIFT: Taiwan’s better-than-expected first-quarter GDP and signs of weakness in the US have driven global capital back to emerging markets, the central bank head said The central bank yesterday blamed market speculation for the steep rise in the local currency, and urged exporters and financial institutions to stay calm and stop panic sell-offs to avoid hurting their own profitability. The nation’s top monetary policymaker said that it would step in, if necessary, to maintain order and stability in the foreign exchange market. The remarks came as the NT dollar yesterday closed up NT$0.919 to NT$30.145 against the US dollar in Taipei trading, after rising as high as NT$29.59 in intraday trading. The local currency has surged 5.85 percent against the greenback over the past two sessions, central