Czech Chamber of Deputies Speaker Marketa Pekarova Adamova said that she expects her scheduled visit to Taiwan this month to bolster bilateral ties and deepen exchanges between the two countries.
The delegation that is to arrive on Saturday is expected to include more than 100 participants, and would be the largest of its kind from the Czech Republic to make an official visit to Taiwan.
Its members are to include technology sector leaders, researchers and members of government institutions, Adamova said in an interview.
Photo: Screenshot from Adamova’s Facebook page
The five-day trip is also to include the director of the Czech National Museum, who seeks to promote exchanges with museums in Taiwan, she added.
Adamova is also aiming to bolster cooperation in the semiconductor industry on behalf of her country and the rest of Europe, she said.
She said that direct flights between Prague and Taipei, which are to be launched soon, would be important to cooperation and tourism between the two countries.
“The distance between our countries is very huge,” she said, “At the same time, I think we can understand each other very well.”
Czech people know what it means to “fight for freedom and democracy,” Adamova said.
The recent election of Czech President Petr Pavel shows that the country is moving toward a new era, she added.
Former Czech president Milos Zeman was focused more on relations with China, and once visited the country for ideas on social stability, Adamova said.
“This was something incredible for us because we live in freedom and democracy,” she said, adding that she is a strong supporter of Pavel.
“As a free, democratic country, we support others who are standing behind the same values,” she said.
“We have so many common interests, there is no reason to stop this contact or not to maintain this contact,” Adamova said, addressing concerns that her visit could anger Beijing,
Adamova is scheduled to meet with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), and has been invited to deliver a speech in the legislature.
A Czech official familiar with the matter said the 150-member delegation would include about 100 business leaders.
The official said that negotiating business agreements would be the aim of the trip, along with exchanges between academic institutions and museums.
“If there is an opportunity for military cooperation, it is not ruled out,” the person added.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday said that a surge in respiratory illnesses in China has been caused by at least seven types of pathogens, and small children, elderly people and immunocompromised people should temporarily avoid unnecessary visits to China. The recent outbreak of respiratory illnesses in China is mainly in the north and among children, CDC Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞) said on Monday. Data released by the Chinese National Health Commission on Sunday showed that among children aged one to four, the main pathogens were influenza viruses and rhinoviruses, while among children aged five to 14, the main pathogens
A new poll of Taiwanese voters found the top opposition candidate for president jumping past the ruling party’s hopeful into the lead position ahead of January’s election — the latest twist in a drama-filled race. Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) had an approval rating of 31.9 percent versus 29.2 percent for the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) presidential candidate Vice President William Lai (賴清德), the poll released yesterday by the Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation showed. The Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) presidential candidate, New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜), ranked third with 23.6 percent, according to the survey conducted
A New Taipei City hotpot restaurant could be fined after a rat dropped from the ceiling and landed on a customer’s plate last week, the New Taipei City Department of Health said yesterday after conducting an inspection. A woman recently posted on the “I am a Banciao resident” (我是板橋人) social media group saying that she had been eating with a friend at Chien Tu Shabu Shabu Hotpot Restaurant’s Shuangshi B branch in Banciao District (板橋). “While still eating, a big rat suddenly dropped down from the ceiling, landing on a plate next to a hotpot,” she said. “Later on, a member of
Actress Hu Ling (胡伶) on Saturday became the first Chinese movie star to walk the red carpet of the Golden Horse Awards since 2019, when China boycotted Taiwan’s biggest awards show over political tensions. Beijing banned its entertainers from joining the awards, dubbed the Chinese-language Oscars, after documentary director Fu Yu (傅榆) voiced support for Taiwan’s formal independence in an acceptance speech in 2018. There were no films from China in the 2019 nomination list and several Hong Kong movies dropped out that year, while several big commercial productions were conspicuously absent at both the 2020 and 2021 awards. However, Hu, nominated for