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.
Taiwanese scientists have engineered plants that can capture about 50 percent more carbon dioxide and produce more than twice as many seeds as unmodified plants, a breakthrough they hope could one day help mitigate global warming and grow more food staples such as rice. If applied to major food crops, the new system could cut carbon emissions and raise yields “without additional equipment or labor costs,” Academia Sinica researcher and lead author the study Lu Kuan-jen (呂冠箴) said. Academia Sinica president James Liao (廖俊智) said that as humans emit 9.6 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide compared with the 220 billion tonnes absorbed
The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Wanda-Zhonghe Line is 81.7 percent complete, with public opening targeted for the end of 2027, New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said today. Surrounding roads are to be open to the public by the end of next year, Hou said during an inspection of construction progress. The 9.5km line, featuring nine underground stations and one depot, is expected to connect Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Station to Chukuang Station in New Taipei City’s Jhonghe District (中和). All 18 tunnels for the line are complete, while the main structures of the stations and depot are mostly finished, he
Taipei is to implement widespread road closures around Taipei 101 on Friday to make way for large crowds during the Double Ten National Day celebration, the Taipei Department of Transportation said. A four-minute fireworks display is to be launched from the skyscraper, along with a performance by 500 drones flying in formation above the nearby Nanshan A21 site, starting at 10pm. Vehicle restrictions would occur in phases, they said. From 5pm to 9pm, inner lanes of Songshou Road between Taipei City Hall and Taipei 101 are to be closed, with only the outer lanes remaining open. Between 9pm and 9:40pm, the section is
China’s plan to deploy a new hypersonic ballistic missile at a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF) base near Taiwan likely targets US airbases and ships in the western Pacific, but it would also present new threats to Taiwan, defense experts said. The New York Times — citing a US Department of Defense report from last year on China’s military power — on Monday reported in an article titled “The missiles threatening Taiwan” that China has stockpiled 3,500 missiles, 1.5 times more than four years earlier. Although it is unclear how many of those missiles were targeting Taiwan, the newspaper reported
RSS