Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil yesterday told Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) that he hoped his visit would serve as a “bridge” that binds the Czech Republic and Taiwan more closely together and leverages exchanges in various fields.
Members of a Czech delegation led by Vystrcil yesterday visited the Executive Yuan in Taipei, where he and Su each delivered a speech.
Speaking after Su, Vystrcil quoted the premier, who said that he had taken inspiration from the love lock bridge in Prague and built the Lovers’ Bridge (情人橋) in then-Taipei County’s Fisherman’s Wharf when he was Taipei county commissioner.
Photo: CNA
Vystrcil said he hoped his visit would also serve as a bridge connecting the Czech Republic and Taiwan, and that there would be more such bridges to come.
Introducing the Czech officials visiting the Executive Yuan and their respective purview, the Czech Senate leader listed the fields in which he hoped the two nations could bolster cooperation, including education, healthcare, agriculture, technology and economy.
He asked Su to offer more opportunities for Czech students to study in Taiwanese higher education institutions, saying that his country would likewise allocate more slots in tertiary institutions for Taiwanese students and offer them job opportunities besides their studies.
The Czech Republic hopes to conduct exchanges with Taiwan on information security and learn how the nation allocates its funding, he said.
Underlining the Czech Republic’s desire to leverage economic cooperation with the nation, Vystrcil said that there are about 40 members in the delegation from the Czech business sector, and thanked Taipei for arranging the trip, despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mutual trust has been established based on the two nations’ common values of freedom and democracy, providing the foundation for increased exchanges, he said.
Vystrcil said that he was delighted to be accompanied by Prague Mayor Zdenek Hrib during the visit, as Hrib is a “central figure” in Czech politics.
It is always a risk to lead a delegation to a place with which his government does not have official ties, so he is grateful for all Czech and Taiwanese who have sent him e-mails expressing their support for the visit, he said.
Su said that he was happy to hear Vystrcil say “I am Taiwanese” in a speech he gave at the Legislative Yuan on Tuesday.
The Constitution mandates that he give reports in the legislature every year, but he has never received such enthusiastic applause as Vystrcil did, which made him envious, Su joked.
In the previous two years, about 180,000 Taiwanese visited the Czech Republic, he said.
Before the pandemic, Taiwan had about 17 million people traveling abroad annually, he said, adding that he hoped Vystrcil’s visit would motivate more Taiwanese to visit the Czech Republic.
With the Czech Senate having passed legislation barring double taxation, he is optimistic that more Taiwanese companies would invest in the Czech Republic when the law takes effect next year, the premier said.
He thanked the Czech Republic for having spoken at the World Health Assembly this year and last year for Taiwan’s participation, expressing the hope that the two nations would collaborate in other forms in the international community.
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