President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and Czech President Petr Pavel might meet face-to-face at international meetings attended by both leaders, Czech Chamber of Deputies Speaker Marketa Pekarova Adamova said yesterday.
She made the remark at a news conference at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taipei before she and her delegation departed from Taiwan, in response to a question about the possibility of Tsai and Pavel meeting at the 27th Forum 2000 Conference in Prague later this year.
Adamova said that although she cannot speak for Pavel, senior Czech officials have shown unanimous support for Taiwan.
Photo: EPA and Taipei Times
Tsai congratulating Pavel upon his election was an indication of the direction the future might take, she added.
According to Czech-language media, Pavel on Tuesday told a panel of students that a presidential visit might elicit a stronger negative response from Beijing — including punitive economic measures — than one by lawmakers.
While the Czech Republic follows the “one China” policy and has never questioned China’s territorial integrity, the nation has a right to develop ties with any party it wishes to, he said, adding that nothing can stop him from speaking with Tsai at a neutral international event or forum.
Photo: Tian Yu-hua, Taipei Times
Tsai was invited to address the upcoming Forum 2000, the third time she has been asked to do so in as many years.
Earlier yesterday, the delegation signed several memorandums of understanding (MOUs) for Czech institutions to cooperate with their counterparts in Taiwan.
They include partnerships between the Taipei-based Institute for National Defense and Security Research (INDSR) and the Institute of International Relations Prague, the National Taiwan Museum and the Czech National Museum, and a parliamentary friendship pact.
Adamova’s visit has facilitated Taiwan’s bid to obtain mobile missile launchers and self-propelled artillery systems, as well as a strategic cooperative for the research and development of drones, the Chinese-language CM Media news site said.
Adamova said that the delegation also signed an MOU to cooperate in the defense of democracy and freedom in Taiwan.
The security cooperation includes cybersecurity, a topic Adamova discussed with Minister of Digital Affairs Audrey Tang (唐鳳), she said, adding that the details of the pacts would be announced by the governments of the two countries later.
The Czech Republic was the arsenal of the Warsaw Pact during the Cold War and its arms industry possesses significant manufacturing capabilities for ground systems, INDSR director Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲) told the Central News Agency.
The eastern European country should be considered a potential source of arms and a partner in defense technology, he said.
The military is considering the research and development of indigenous artillery systems after Russia’s war in Ukraine caused delays in the delivery of US weapons, he added.
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