China’s economic influence in central Europe might be overstated, Prague Mayor Zdenek Hrib said yesterday in Taipei, adding that Chinese investments have had a limited effect on the Czech Republic’s GDP.
Hrib is part of an 89-member delegation led by Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil that ended their six-day visit to Taiwan yesterday.
At a news conference coordinated by Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安), Hrib said it was his second time officially visiting Taiwan, adding that he regretted that the trip had not been possible during the tenure of former Czech Senate president Jaroslav Kubera, who passed away in January.
Photo: CNA
Prague and the Taipei City Government in January signed a sister-city agreement, to boost exchanges in areas such as smart city development, environmentally friendly public transportation and sustainability, Hrib said at the event at the Shangri-La Hotel.
Regarding Beijing’s “one China” principle, Hrib said that the Czech Republic instead endorses the “one China” policy, which is more flexible and allows for visits to Taiwan.
While China between 2013 and 2015 made many promises to invest in the Czech Republic, only part of them were fulfilled, primarily through company acquisitions, which did not create new jobs or promote technological transfers, he said.
Asked if the delegation is worried about possible economic retaliation from Beijing, Hrib said China’s investments have only affected about 1 percent of the country’s GDP.
China only represents 0.42 percent of all foreign investments in the Czech Republic, he said, adding that the perception of Chinese investment in central Europe might be overestimated.
Asked if he would make the same statement as Vystrcil, who said “I am Taiwanese” at the Legislative Yuan on Tuesday, Hrib said: “I am a Taipei citizen.”
He was awarded honorary citizenship of Taipei last year.
Hrib also announced two major cultural exchanges at the event.
More than 250 works by Czech artist Alphonse Mucha are to be displayed at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei in the summer next year, including about 50 original drawings never before displayed, he said.
From Oct. 8 to Oct. 10 next year, the Prague Philharmonia would perform in Kaohsiung, Taichung and Taipei, he added.
Hrib also reiterated his support for China Airlines to schedule flights between Prague and Taipei after the COVID-19 pandemic abates.
Regarding China Airlines’ name and whether it should be changed to reflect that it is a Taiwanese company, Hrib said that it depends on the carrier, but he is willing to tell all Prague citizens that China Airlines is from Taiwan.
In a meeting with Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) later yesterday, Hrib thanked Ko for generously sharing information about the city’s COVID-19 prevention measures and sending two pangolins to Prague Zoo as part of an animal exchange agreement between the cities.
City-to-city exchanges should remain free from political rhetoric, and focus on mutual respect and benefits, like the Taipei-Prague relationship, Hrib said.
The two sides plan to engage in more exchanges on city management, specifically the digitization of schools, Ko said.
Ko represented the city government in donating 100,800 masks to Prague to help it combat the pandemic.
Additional reporting by CNA
TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT: A US Air Force KC-135 tanker came less than 1,000 feet of an EVA plane and was warned off by a Taipei air traffic controller, a report said A US aerial refueling aircraft came very close to an EVA Airways jet in the airspace over southern Taiwan, a military aviation news Web site said. A report published by Alert 5 on Tuesday said that automatic dependent surveillance–broadcast (ADS-B) data captured by planfinder.net on Wednesday last week showed a US Air Force KC-135 tanker “coming less than 1,000 feet [305m] vertically with EVA Air flight BR225 as both aircraft crossed path south of Taiwan” that morning. The report included an audio recording of a female controller from the Taipei air traffic control center telling the unidentified aircraft that it was
A series of discussions on the legacy of martial law and authoritarianism are to be held at the Taipei International Book Exhibition this month, featuring findings and analysis by the Transitional Justice Commission. The commission and publisher Book Republic organized the series, entitled “Escaping the Nation’s Labyrinth of Memory: What Authoritarian Symbols and Records Can Tell Us,” to help people navigate narratives through textual analysis and comparisons with other nations. The four-day series is to begin on Thursday next week with a discussion between commission Chairwoman Yang Tsui (楊翠), Polish-language translator Lin Wei-yun (林蔚昀), and Polish author and artist Pawel Gorecki comparing
MOVING OUT: A former professor said that rent and early education costs in Taipei are the nation’s highest, which makes it difficult for young people to start families The population of Taipei last year fell to the lowest in 23 years due to high rent, more transportation options and the expansion of northern cities into a single metropolis, academics and city officials said on Monday. Data released this month by the Ministry of the Interior showed that the capital was home to 2,602,418 people last year, down 42,623 from 2019. The decline is second only to 1993, when the population fell by 42,828 people, while Taipei’s population was the lowest it has been since 1997. Taipei saw the biggest drop among the six special municipalities, while Taoyuan led the group in
A legislator yesterday called for authorities to investigate the sale of Chinese-made, Internet-connected karaoke machines containing “propaganda songs.” Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chen Ting-fei (陳亭妃) said she was approached by a person who had discovered Chinese patriotic songs such as My Motherland (我的祖國) — which is commonly referred to as China’s “second national anthem” — in Chinese-made karaoke devices sold in Taiwan. The machines are popular, as they can connect to the Internet, providing access to thousands of songs, she said. One retailer, who asked to remain anonymous, said that the machines first entered the local market about three years ago, starting with