The Czech government is considering listing a military attache at the Chinese embassy in Prague as persona non grata after reports that they allegedly followed vice president-elect Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) during her visit to the Central European country last month.
European Values Center for Security Policy director Jakub Janda on Friday cited Czech-language Web site Seznam Zpravy as reporting that a Chinese diplomat had been stopped by police while following Hsiao’s motorcade as it entered Prague from the airport.
The Czech Police Protective Service provided security for Hsiao, who was visiting at the invitation of Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil, the report said.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Police stopped a car tailing Hsiao’s motorcade when it ran a red light, and upon inspection, they discovered that the driver was “a Chinese diplomat from the military section of the Chinese embassy in Prague,” it said, adding that the surveillance of Hsiao “continued to her hotel in Prague.”
Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs Jan Lipavsky spoke with Chinese Ambassador to the Czech Republic Feng Biao (馮?) about the incident and “does not consider the issue to be closed,” the report said.
Citing Czech government sources, it said that Prague is considering listing the individual as persona non grata.
In Taipei, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that while in Europe, Hsiao had also met with Czech Chamber of Deputies Deputy Speaker Jan Bartosek, Lithuanian Seimas Speaker Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen, Polish Senate Deputy Marshal Michal Kaminski, and lawmakers from Estonia and Latvia.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) yesterday said the alleged following of Hsiao was shameful conduct for a major world power.
The act underscored that Beijing is not only unwilling to play by established international rules, it disrespects the sovereignty of other nations, Wang said.
DPP Legislator Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) said it was not a small issue and likely not an isolated incident, urging other democratic countries to condemn Beijing’s actions.
Hsiao’s low-profile visit to Europe contrasted with the attention-grabbing tailing of the incoming vice president by China, and underscores Beijing’s efforts to stop at nothing to undermine Taipei’s efforts to broaden its international relations, she said.
DPP Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) called Beijing’s actions deplorable, adding that the incident calls attention to China’s abuse of diplomatic immunity to conduct acts of espionage.
Taiwan should work with the international community to implement measures that would prevent China’s rampant interventionism and illegal tailing of individuals overseas, he said.
CREDIT-GRABBER: China said its coast guard rescued the crew of a fishing vessel that caught fire, who were actually rescued by a nearby Taiwanese boat and the CGA Maritime search and rescue operations do not have borders, and China should not use a shipwreck to infringe upon Taiwanese sovereignty, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said yesterday. The coast guard made the statement in response to the China Coast Guard (CCG) saying it saved a Taiwanese fishing boat. The Chuan Yu No. 6 (全漁6號), a fishing vessel registered in Keelung, on Thursday caught fire and sank in waters northeast of Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台). The vessel left Keelung’s Badouzih Fishing Harbor (八斗子漁港) at 3:35pm on Sunday last week, with seven people on board — a 62-year-old Taiwanese captain surnamed Chang (張) and six
RISKY BUSINESS: The ‘incentives’ include initiatives that get suspended for no reason, creating uncertainty and resulting in considerable losses for Taiwanese, the MAC said China’s “incentives” failed to sway sentiment in Taiwan, as willingness to work in China hit a record low of 1.6 percent, a Ministry of Labor survey showed. The Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) also reported that the number of Taiwanese workers in China has nearly halved from a peak of 430,000 in 2012 to an estimated 231,000 in 2024. That marked a new low in the proportion of Taiwanese going abroad to work. The ministry’s annual survey on “Labor Life and Employment Status” includes questions respondents’ willingness to seek employment overseas. Willingness to work in China has steadily declined from
The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee yesterday approved proposed amendments to the Amusement Tax Act (娛樂稅法) that would abolish taxes on films, cultural activities and competitive sporting events, retaining the fee only for dance halls and golf courses. The proposed changes would set the maximum tax rate for dance halls and golf courses at 50 and 20 percent respectively, with local governments authorized to suspend the levies. Article 2 of the act says that “amusement tax shall be levied on tickets sold or fees charged by amusement places, facilities or activities” in six categories: “Cinema; professional singing, story-telling, dancing, circus, magic show, acrobatics
INFLATION UP? The IMF said CPI would increase to 1.5 percent this year, while the DGBAS projected it would rise to 1.68 percent, with GDP per capita of US$44,181 The IMF projected Taiwan’s real GDP would grow 5.2 percent this year, up from its 2.1 percent outlook in January, despite fears of global economic disruptions sparked by the US-Iran conflict. Taiwan’s consumer price index (CPI) is projected to increase to 1.5 percent, while unemployment would be 3.4 percent, roughly in line with estimates for Asia as a whole, the international body wrote in its Global Economic Outlook Report published in the US on Monday. The figures are comparatively better than the IMF outlook for the rest of the world, which pegged real GDP growth at 3.1 percent, down from 3.3 percent
RSS