A business delegation from Taiwan is heading to Prague. China has threatened retaliation
The Taiwanese business delegation led by two local ministries will begin its four-day visit to Prague on Saturday. Taiwanese companies in the Czech Republic will look for opportunities for cooperation in technological areas, tourism and banking. The mission will be followed on October 27 by the visit of Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu, who should meet with the President of the Senate of the Czech Republic Miloš Vystrčil (ODS). China, which considers Taiwan its territory, has already threatened to be ready to take measures to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity.
About 50 leading businessmen are due to arrive from Taiwan on Saturday. The mission is led by Taiwanese National Development Council Minister Kung Ming-sin and Science and Technology Minister Wu Cung-cuong. According to the Czech-Taiwan Chamber of Commerce, this is the largest trade visit to the Czech Republic in the history of both countries. Taiwanese entrepreneurs will want to establish cooperation in information and communication technologies, green technologies, the Internet of Things, cyber security, healthcare or electronic vehicles.
Reuters reported on China’s threats. China sees Taiwan as part of it, and the reception of senior Taiwanese officials in other countries has always aroused harsh criticism of Beijing, which is seen as supporting the island’s independence.
Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu will attend a conference organized by the local NGO in Slovakia next week and then go to Prague, where he is to meet with Senate President Miloš Vystrčil and Prague Mayor Zdeněk Hřib. He pushed out and Mushroom visited Taiwan last year, provoking a sharp reaction from Beijing.
Chinese diplomacy spokesman Wang Wen-pin told a news conference on Friday that Beijing would follow Wu’s journey in detail. “China will take the appropriate and necessary measures to firmly defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity. No one should have any illusions in this matter, “Wang said when asked if China is taking any action against the Czechs and Slovaks. The spokesman did not specify what measures Beijing could take.
Taiwan has no formal diplomatic relations with any European country except the Vatican, and many countries are unwilling to host high-ranking Taiwanese officials due to Chinese pressure, Reuters reports. In 2019, however, the head of Taiwan diplomacy, for example, visited Denmark, where he spoke at a democratic summit in Copenhagen.