Czech politicians fire back at China’s outrage over presidential Taiwan-Czech phone call
Czech politicians fire back at China’s outrage over presidential Taiwan-Czech phone call
2023-02-01
High ranking officials in the Czech Republic have responded to China’s protests over a recent phone call between the Czech president-elect and President Tsai Ing-wen. One of them is the Czech prime minister, who said that, as a sovereign country, the Czech Republic could choose whoever it wants to call. Meanwhile, the EU’s spokesperson for foreign affairs and security policy has said that the "one China" policies of the EU and its member states do not prohibit interactions with Taiwan.
Czech President-elect Petr Pavel spoke with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen on the phone on Monday and said he hoped to visit Taiwan in the future. European news outlet Reuters referred to the move as a “diplomatic coup,” given the lack of formal ties between the two countries. The phone call also ruffled a few feathers in Beijing.
Mao Ning
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson
Even after China’s repeated dissuasion and demarches, the call constitutes a serious interference in China’s internal affairs. China deplores and strongly opposes this and we have made solemn demarche to the Czech side.
China says it tried to stop the call between the two presidents from happening. The Czech Republic is having none of China’s condemnations, however. On Twitter, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala responded saying that “As a sovereign state, we decide for ourselves who we call and who we meet.” Speaker of the Czech Chamber of Deputies Marketa Pekarova Adamova further tweeted that it is important that Czechia supports partners who respect human rights and democracy. She added that she was planning to visit Taiwan in March. Asked on the matter, the EU’s foreign affairs and security policy spokesperson, Nabila Massrali, stated that the EU’s “one China” policy does not mean the union and its member states cannot interact with Taiwan.
Nabila Massrali
EU foreign affairs and security policy spokesperson
The EU and its members states remain committed to its longstanding “one China” policy, which constitutes the framework for the EU’s and its member states engagement with Taiwan. At the same time, the EU and its member states have strong ties with Taiwan and an important economic and high-tech partner in the region.
Chen Ting-fei
DPP lawmaker
Nothing can stand in the way of the friendship between the Czech Republic and Taiwan. The unity among democracies will always show our determination to demonstrate that we are not like authoritarian states.
Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council said that, as a sovereign state, Taiwan’s interactions with other countries are legitimate, adding that China’s attempts to isolate Taiwan internationally were not conducive to the betterment of cross-strait relations. The Year of the Rabbit has only just started, but it seems that for Taiwan it may be a year of more cooperation with the EU.
捷克準總統「帕維爾」盼訪蔡英文惹怒中國 陸委會反擊
2023-02-01
總統蔡英文週一傍晚，致電給捷克總統當選人帕維爾祝賀，帕維爾還表示希望有機會與蔡總統會面，引發國際高度關注。中國則是又氣得跳腳，直說表示堅決反對，但捷克總理費亞拉回擊，捷克作為一個主權國家，要與誰會面、與誰通話，「我們自己做決定」。
捷克總統當選人帕維爾與我國總統蔡英文通話，更表示有意願訪台，歐洲媒體評論，相當罕見，是台灣成功的外交奇襲，因為捷克和台灣並沒有正式邦交。台捷友好，又挑動中國敏感神經。
[[中國外交部發言人 毛寧]]
“罔顧中方多次勸阻和反覆交涉，嚴重干涉中國內政。中方對此表示強烈不滿和堅決反對，已向捷方提出嚴正交涉”
中國毫不掩飾，曾試圖阻止帕維爾與蔡總統通話。但捷克不甩中方叫囂，捷克總理費亞拉透過Twitter反擊，指出捷克作為一個主權國家，要與誰會面、與誰通話，「我們自己決定」。眾議院議長艾達莫娃也表示，捷克支持「尊重人權與民主」的夥伴，並透露自己將在三月訪台。歐盟發言人也重申，「一中政策」並不能阻止歐盟與台灣深化交往。
[[歐盟對外事務部發言人 馬斯拉里]]
“歐盟及會員國長期奉行一中政策，並在此架構下與台灣交往，也與台灣維持堅實的關係，尤其是經濟及高科技夥伴關係”
[[立委(民) 陳亭妃]]
“台灣跟捷克之間，兩國的友誼是無法攻破的，民主國家的一個結合，永遠可以展現出我們的決心，就是跟威權國家是不一樣的”
陸委會回應，我國與世界各國互動往來，是主權國家正當作為。中國一再阻撓台灣與國際交往，無助於兩岸良性互動。新的一年，台灣持續深化和盟友關係，力拚突破中國重圍。
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