Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil yesterday said that he disliked a comment by Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) about the Czech delegation’s visit to Taiwan, adding that countries have their own ways of interpreting China’s “one China” principle.
Vystrcil made the remarks at a news conference at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taipei, where he summed up the delegation’s accomplishments.
Pressed further about Wang’s remarks — who had said that Vystrcil “crossed the red line” by visiting Taiwan — he said he did not like the expression that Wang used, adding that the delegation had not contravened a Czech-China agreement.
Photo: CNA
Each country, including the Czech Republic and other EU members, has its own approach to the so-called “one China” principle, Vystrcil said.
Taiwan is a free and democratic country, while democratic countries always have the right to cooperate, he said, when asked if he would continue to support Taiwan.
The Czech Republic is willing to maintain relations with other countries based on the principle of equality and mutual benefit, including with China, he said.
The senate president was also asked if he and other senators would introduce bills friendly to Taiwan, such as the US’ Taiwan Relations Act, or upgrade the status of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Prague by replacing “Taipei” with “Taiwan.”
Diplomatic policy is not determined by the Czech Senate, but by administrative agencies, Vystrcil said.
They could share their experiences with the administrative agencies, he said, while emphasizing that Prague Mayor Zdenek Hrib was part of their delegation.
In February, Vystrcil was elected senate president. His predecessor, Jaroslav Kubera, died of a heart attack in January before a scheduled visit to Taiwan. Chinese Ambassador to the Czech Republic Zhang Jianmin (張建敏) had threatened in a letter that China would retaliate against Czech businesses reliant on the Chinese market, including Skoda and Home Credit, if Kubera visited Taiwan.
Next month, the Czech Republic is to hold senate elections alongside local elections, with one-third of the 81-member Senate to be elected.
Vystrcil’s speech on Tuesday at the Legislative Yuan showed that the manners of a civilized country are as warm and gentle as spring sunlight, Legislative Speaker You Si-kun (游錫堃) said.
By contrast, Wang’s rude threat is like “cold wind,” unwelcome by other people, and has sparked criticism from Germany, France and other EU members, he said.
A Czech journalist asked Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) if the country is promoting independence by highlighting “Taiwan” on the cover of its passports and receiving foreign delegations with high-profile manners.
Taiwan is a sovereign country where people elect their own president and lawmakers, and hold their own passports, Wu said, adding that Taiwan does not belong to China or any other country.
“We are trying to maintain the ‘status quo,’” he said.
ANOTHER EMERGES: The CWA yesterday said this year’s fourth storm of the typhoon season had formed in the South China Sea, but was not expected to affect Taiwan Tropical Storm Gaemi has intensified slightly as it heads toward Taiwan, where it is expected to affect the country in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 8am yesterday, the 120km-radius storm was 800km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving at 9kph northwest, the agency said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued tonight at the earliest, it said, adding that the storm is projected to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday. Gaemi’s potential effect on Taiwan remains unclear, as that would depend on its direction, radius and intensity, forecasters said. Former Weather Forecast
As COVID-19 cases in Japan have been increasing for 10 consecutive weeks, people should get vaccinated before visiting the nation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said. The centers reported 773 hospitalizations and 124 deaths related to COVID-19 in Taiwan last week. CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) on Tuesday said the number of weekly COVID-19 cases reported in Japan has been increasing since mid-May and surpassed 55,000 cases from July 8 to July 14. The average number of COVID-19 patients at Japan’s healthcare facilities that week was also 1.39 times that of the week before and KP.3 is the dominant
The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) working group for Taiwan-related policies is likely to be upgraded to a committee-level body, a report commissioned by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said. As Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is increasingly likely to upgrade the CCP’s Central Leading Group for Taiwan Affairs, Taiwanese authorities should prepare by researching Xi and the CCP, the report said. At the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the CCP, which ended on Thursday last week, the party set a target of 2029 for the completion of some tasks, meaning that Xi is likely preparing to
US-CHINA TRADE DISPUTE: Despite Beijing’s offer of preferential treatment, the lure of China has dimmed as Taiwanese and international investors move out Japan and the US have become the favored destinations for Taiwanese graduates as China’s attraction has waned over the years, the Ministry of Labor said. According to the ministry’s latest income and employment advisory published this month, 3,215 Taiwanese university graduates from the class of 2020 went to Japan, surpassing for the first time the 2,881 graduates who went to China. A total of 2,300 graduates from the class of 2021 went to the US, compared with the 2,262 who went to China, the document showed. The trend continued for the class of 2023, of whom 1,460 went to Japan, 1,334 went to