Taiwan VP says will not be intimidated after Czech says China planned physical intimidation

By Jan Lopatka and Yimou Lee

PRAGUE/TAIPEI (Reuters) -Taiwan's Vice-President Hsiao Bi-khim said she will not be intimidated by China after Czech military intelligence said Chinese diplomats and secret service followed Hsiao and planned to intimidate her physically when she visited Prague last year.

Hsiao visited the Czech Republic in March 2024. Prague does not have official diplomatic ties with Taiwan but has fostered warm relations with the democratically-governed island, which China views as its own territory despite Taiwan's rejection.

Czech media reported last year that a Chinese diplomat had run a red light when following her car. Czech public radio news website irozhlas.cz said on Thursday that the Chinese had also planned to stage a demonstrative car crash.

"I had a great visit to Prague & thank the Czech authorities for their hospitality & ensuring my safety. The CCP's unlawful activities will NOT intimidate me from voicing Taiwan's interests in the international community," Hsiao wrote in a post on X social media platform on Saturday, referring to the Chinese Communist Party. Her post was linked to the Reuters report on the incident.

In a separate post on X, Hsiao thanked global parliamentarians who have expressed solidarity against "violence and coercion."

"Taiwan will not be isolated by intimidation," Hsiao wrote.

Czech Military Intelligence spokesman said Chinese diplomats in Prague had taken actions that violated diplomatic rules.

"This consisted of physically following the vice-president, gathering information on her schedule and attempts to document her meetings with important representatives of the Czech political and public scene," spokesman Jan Pejsek said in emailed comments to Reuters.

"We even recorded an attempt by the Chinese civil secret service to create conditions to perform a demonstrative kinetic action against a protected person, which however did not go beyond the phase of preparation."

A spokesperson for China's foreign ministry, commenting on the matter, denied any wrongdoing by Chinese diplomats and also said the Czech Republic had interfered in China's internal affairs by allowing Hsiao's visit to go ahead.

The Czech Foreign Ministry said it had summoned the Chinese ambassador over the incident at the time but did not comment further on Friday.

"This is the CCP's criminality on display for the whole world to see. This isn't diplomacy, it's coercion," the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee wrote on X.

TAIWAN PROTESTS

Taiwan's China-policy making Mainland Affairs Council said the Chinese actions "seriously threatened the personal safety of Vice President Hsiao and her entourage".

"The Mainland Affairs Council today protested and strongly condemned the Chinese communist's bad behaviour and demanded that the Chinese side should immediately explain and publicly apologise," it said.

A senior Taiwan security official briefed on the matter told Reuters the incident was an example of "transnational repression" by China that the European Union is currently paying close attention to.

"This is a problem that everyone should pay attention to," the official requesting anonymity said, adding many government officials around the world were threatened by China upon visits made by Taiwanese officials or politicians to their countries.

In Beijing, foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said: "Chinese diplomats have always abided by the laws and regulations of the countries in which they are stationed."

"China urges the parties concerned not to be provoked and exploited by separatist forces for Taiwan independence, and to not make a fuss over nothing, engage in malicious speculation, and interfere with and undermine the relations between the two countries."

Hsiao assumed office, along with President Lai Ching-te, on May 20 last year. 

Czech relations with China have cooled in recent years. The Czechs accused China in May of being behind a cyberattack on the foreign ministry.

Czech politicians have visited Taiwan and former Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen visited Prague last October.

China views separately governed Taiwan as its own territory and has ramped up its military and political pressure in recent years. Taiwan says only its people can decide their future and vows to defend its freedom and democracy.

(Reporting by Jan Lopatka in Prague, Yimou Lee and Ben Blanchard in Taipei and Joe Cash in Beijing; Editing by Gareth Jones and Kim Coghill)