Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers castigated the Prague City Council’s support for China’s claim of sovereignty over Taiwan in a sistership agreement that the city has signed with Beijing, and called on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the premier to express the nation’s disapproval.
The city assembly on Thursday ratified an agreement which included a clause stating that “Prague recognizes the one-China policy, as well as recognizes Taiwan as an inseparable part of Chinese territory.”
The phrase was a major impediment to the signing of the agreement — which has been under negotiation since the summer of last year. The council’s final decision has met the opprobrium of Taiwanese legislators and Czech councilors alike.
DPP Legislator Chou Chun-mi (周春米) on Friday demanded to know the nation’s response to the slight on the nation’s sovereignty after raising the issue with Premier Simon Chang (張善政).
Chang said the nation did not recognize the claim, adding that the Republic of China (ROC) was not involved in the negotiating or signing of the agreement.
Other countries have similar deals, and while the government must respond to the incident, it is not within the remit of the Legislative Yuan to do so, Chang said, adding that the government must have an appropriate platform to tender its protests to the Czech government.
Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lin (林永樂) said the ministry would strongly protest any action slighting Taiwan’s sovereignty, adding that the foreign ministry would express its concerns to the Czech government.
While Prague Mayor Adriana Krnacova said that the agreement was mutually beneficial to both Beijing and Prague, and called for an increase in exchanges aimed at mutual development and prosperity, its passage has caused controversy in the city assembly.
According to reports in the Prague Post, assembly member Lukas Kaucky of the Czech Socialist Democratic Party said the policy was in line with the Czech Republic’s foreign policy and that it was passed because Prague also has a sister city agreement with Taipei, which was signed in 2001.
However, Tradition Responsibility Prosperity party founder Miroslav Kalousek said the city had overstepped its authority by engaging in activity that falls under the purview of the national government, according to the report.
“There’s no reason why a clause about high-level international policy should be in an agreement between two cities,” Kalousek said, adding that its only possible purpose was to show timidity and submissiveness to an authoritarian regime, the report said.
“With a partnership with Beijing where Prague recognizes Taiwan as part of China and disagrees with an independent Tibet. It is an undignified shame on Prague,” Assembly member Ondeej Mirovsky said on Facebook.
The foreign ministry has ordered the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Prague to protest the incident while asking for a clarification on the issue from the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as demanding that the Czech government rectify the situation.
The ROC has always been a sovereign, independent and democratic nation since its founding in 1912, has independent diplomatic relations and is an active member in international organizations, Lin said.
‘NON-RED’: Taiwan and Ireland should work together to foster a values-driven, democratic economic system, leveraging their complementary industries, Lai said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday expressed hopes for closer ties between Taiwan and Ireland, and that both countries could collaborate to create a values-driven, democracy-centered economic system. He made the remarks while meeting with an Irish cross-party parliamentary delegation visiting Taiwan. The delegation, led by John McGuinness, deputy speaker of the Irish house of representatives, known as the Dail, includes Irish lawmakers Malcolm Byrne, Barry Ward, Ken O’Flynn and Teresa Costello. McGuinness, who chairs the Ireland-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Association, is a friend of Taiwan, and under his leadership, the association’s influence has grown over the past few years, Lai said. Ireland is
A saleswoman, surnamed Chen (陳), earlier this month was handed an 18-month prison term for embezzling more than 2,000 pairs of shoes while working at a department store in Tainan. The Tainan District Court convicted Chen of embezzlement in a ruling on July 7, sentencing her to prison for illegally profiting NT$7.32 million (US$248,929) at the expense of her employer. Chen was also given the opportunity to reach a financial settlement, but she declined. Chen was responsible for the sales counter of Nike shoes at Tainan’s Shinkong Mitsukoshi Zhongshan branch, where she had been employed since October 2019. She had previously worked
FINAL COUNTDOWN: About 50,000 attended a pro-recall rally yesterday, while the KMT and the TPP plan to rally against the recall votes today Democracy activists, together with arts and education representatives, yesterday organized a motorcade, while thousands gathered on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei in the evening in support of tomorrow’s recall votes. Recall votes for 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and suspended Hsinchu City mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) are to be held tomorrow, while recall votes for seven other KMT lawmakers are scheduled for Aug. 23. The afternoon motorcade was led by the Spring Breeze Culture and Arts Foundation, the Tyzen Hsiao Foundation and the Friends of Lee Teng-hui Association, and was joined by delegates from the Taiwan Statebuilding Party and the Taiwan Solidarity
TRANSPORT DISRUPTION: More than 100 ferry services were suspended due to rough seas and strong winds, and eight domestic flights were canceled, the ministry said Tropical Storm Wipha intensified slightly yesterday as it passed closest to Taiwan, dumping more than 200mm of rain in Hualien and Taitung counties, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 11am, Wipha was about 210km southwest of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) and was moving west-northwest at 27km per hour (kph). The storm carried maximum sustained winds of 101kph and gusts reaching 126kph, with a 150km radius of strong winds, CWA data showed. Wipha’s outer rainbands began sweeping across Taiwan early yesterday, delivering steady rainfall in the east and scattered showers in other regions, forecasters said. More heavy rain was expected, especially in the eastern
RSS