The 89-member delegation of the Czech Republic, headed by Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil, on Friday evening departed Taiwan, ending their six-day visit.
Vystrcil met many liberal-minded and creative people during his stay, he said, adding that he hopes the visit would not only deepen ties between the Czech Republic and Taiwan, but also bring about investment opportunities for the two sides.
He looked forward to Taiwanese carriers starting direct flights between the nations and for Taiwan to export high-value-added products to the Czech Republic, he said.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
The nations agree on the importance of promoting freedom and democracy, Vystrcil said, adding that he enjoyed his stay in Taiwan.
Vystrcil and the delegation, which included eight Czech senators and Prague Mayor Zdenek Hrib, flew to Taiwan on Sunday last week for the landmark visit, despite strong condemnation from China.
During the visit, the group of representatives of Czech political, business, science and cultural sectors signed three memorandums of understanding with Taiwanese companies to enhance cooperation.
The visit also resulted in the Czech Republic allowing Taiwanese state-run banks to open branches in the country and China Airlines to operate direct flights there.
On Thursday, while meeting with Vystrcil, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said that the visit had been a fruitful one, and praised the delegation for making an important first step in breaking down barriers, even though the nations do not have official diplomatic ties.
Such an exchange tells “all our friends in Europe and around the world that friends upholding the same beliefs, regardless of whether they are Czech or Taiwanese, will not succumb to oppression and will continue to bravely ensure our voices are heard,” she said.
During his stay, Vystrcil also met several other top Taiwanese officials, and spoke at the Legislative Yuan and National Chengchi University in Taipei.
He on Tuesday received a Congressional Diplomacy Honorary Medal from the legislature, making him the first legislative head from a country with which Taiwan has no diplomatic relations to receive the recognition since it was created in 2007.
Travel agencies in Taiwan are working to secure alternative flights for travelers bound for New Zealand for the Lunar New Year holiday, as Air New Zealand workers are set to strike next week. The airline said that it has confirmed that the planned industrial action by its international wide-body cabin crew would go ahead on Thursday and Friday next week. While the Auckland-based carrier pledged to take reasonable measures to mitigate the impact of the workers’ strike, an Air New Zealand flight arriving at Taipei from Auckland on Thursday and another flight departing from Taipei for Auckland on Saturday would have to
The Taipei City Government yesterday confirmed that it has negotiated a royalties of NT$12.2 billion (US$380 million) with artificial intelligence (AI) chip giant Nvidia Corp, with the earliest possible signing date set for Wednesday next week. The city has been preparing for Nvidia to build its Taiwan headquarters in Beitou-Shilin Technology Park since last year, and the project has now entered its final stage before the contract is signed. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said the city government has completed the royalty price negotiations and would now push through the remaining procedures to sign the contract before
Taipei Zoo welcomes the Lunar New Year this year through its efforts to protect an endangered species of horse native to central Asia that was once fully extinct outside of captivity. The festival ushering in the Year of the Horse would draw attention to the zoo’s four specimens of Przewalski’s horse, named for a Russian geographer who first encountered them in the late 19th century across the steppes of western Mongolia. “Visitors will look at the horses and think that since this is the Year of the Horse: ‘I want to get to know horses,’” said zookeeper Chen Yun-chieh, who has been
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday said the name of the Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania was agreed by both sides, after Lithuania’s prime minister described a 2021 decision to let Taiwan set up a de facto embassy in Vilnius as a “mistake.” Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene, who entered office in September last year, told the Baltic News Service on Tuesday that Lithuania had begun taking “small first steps” aimed at restoring ties with Beijing. The ministry in a statement said that Taiwan and Lithuania are important partners that share the values of freedom and democracy. Since the establishment of the
RSS