China Condemns Czech Senate President’s Business Delegation Visit to Taiwan
Overview of the Diplomatic Dispute
Background of the Visit
PRAGUE, May 31 (Reuters) - China condemned Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil's visit to Taiwan this week, saying on Sunday the trip disregarded the central European nation's government position and interfered in Beijing's internal affairs.
Details of the Delegation
Vystrcil, from the opposition centre-right ODS party, is leading a business delegation on a visit to Taiwan. There, he is set to meet President Lai Ching-te along with other officials and companies -- drawing the ire of China.
China’s Official Response
Statement from the Chinese Embassy
"The Chinese side urges the Czech side to strictly abide by the one-China principle, immediately take effective measures to eliminate the adverse consequences of this wrongdoing, and safeguard the overall framework for the development of China-Czech relations through its concrete actions," the Chinese embassy in Prague said on its website.
China’s Position on Taiwan
China has been critical of ties between Prague and Taipei. It sees the island as having no right to state-to-state relations, a view the government in Taipei strongly rejects.
Growing Czech-Taiwan Relations
Economic and Diplomatic Engagement
The Czech Republic, like most countries, only formally recognises Beijing and not Taipei, but in recent years has grown closer to Taiwan, a powerhouse in the semiconductor industry, and has seen growing investment from it. Taiwanese Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung visited Prague earlier in May and spoke at a forum in the city.
Political Reactions Within the Czech Republic
Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis, whose ANO party leads a coalition with right-wing and far-right parties, has criticised the trip and the government did not provide Vystrcil with a state plane for the journey.
(Reporting by Michael Kahn, Editing by Deepa Babington)
