The trip of the senators to Taiwan undermines the cooperation between Prague and Beijing, the Chinese embassy claims — ČT24 — Czech Television
Apart from Drahoš, the current delegation also includes Deputy Minister of Education Radka Wildová, Deputy Minister of Science, Research and Innovation Jana Havlíková and President of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic Eva Zažímalová. The delegation is to discuss further cooperation in epidemiology and cyber security, education or semiconductor research and development.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defense and Security Pavel Fischer (independent) said on Twitter in the evening that the delegation’s visit to Taiwan had been in preparation for a long time, only to be postponed again “due to the Chinese virus pandemic”. “Meanwhile, China has hardened. But that is no reason why cooperation between the parliaments of democratic countries must end,” he wrote.
The Chinese embassy has condemned the trip, saying it means obvious support for separatist forces. “Such an act is a serious violation of China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, significantly violates the basic norms of international relations and bilateral political commitments, and undermines the political foundations of cooperation between China and the Czech Republic,” the embassy said. China expressed strong dissatisfaction with the trip, which, as the embassy stated, it has already communicated to the Czech side.
Closer contacts with Taiwan were initiated two years ago by a senate expedition led by the head of the upper chamber, Miloš Vystrčil (ODS). It took place despite threats and protests from China and the disapproval of the Castle or representatives of the then government of Andrej Babiš (ANO). This July, the Speaker of the Taiwanese Parliament, Jou Si-chun, visited the Czechia. Its adoption drew protests from Beijing. The Czechia rejected the criticism by saying, among other things, that it is a sovereign state.
Beijing’s strong reaction was sparked by the visit of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan in August. China has launched a series of large-scale military exercises, announced sanctions on Pelosi and her relatives, or an intention to end cooperation with the United States in a number of areas, including climate.
China considers democratic Taiwan to be an integral part of its territory and threatens it with military intervention in the event of a declaration of independence. Beijing has long urged other states not to deal with Taiwanese officials and thus not create the appearance that they recognize the island’s independence.