President of Czech Senate visits Taiwan after 6 years

President of Czech Senate visits Taiwan after 6 years

2026-06-01

Six years ago a Czech politician made history in Taiwan during a visit to the Legislative Yuan. He’s Miloš Vystrčil, the President of the Senate of Czechia, who announced to legislators that “I am Taiwanese.” Now, he’s back in Taiwan, despite sharp condemnation from China and political friction back home. The Prime Minister of Czechia reportedly refused to let him fly to Taiwan on an executive plane. But that did not deter Vystrčil, who made the trip on a China Airlines flight instead. After landing, he stressed that as free and democratic countries, neither Czechia nor Taiwan have to follow anyone else’s orders.

Miloš Vystrčil (via interpreter)
President of the Czech Senate
It is completely normal for the President of the Czech Senate to visit the Speaker of Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan. It is natural that countries supporting Beijing’s “One-China Principle” may dislike this, but that does not mean we are obligated to follow it. Taiwan and Czechia are both free and democratic countries, and we do not have to obey others’ orders about who we should or should not be friends with. Cooperation between Czechia and Taiwan is based on mutual benefit and has brought many advantages to both sides. Taiwan should be a friend of Czechia, and Czechia should of course, be a friend of Taiwan.

Han Kuo-yu
Legislative Speaker
The ROC faces a difficult international situation. We need a breath of fresh air on the global stage, which is why parliamentary diplomacy has become so very important.

Vystrčil’s first stop in Taiwan was a meeting with Legislative Yuan Speaker Han Kuo-yu, where he presented a Czech lion statue symbolizing resilience and perseverance, expressing hope that Taiwan–Czech relations could overcome setbacks and grow stronger. Han, in turn, emphasized that “regardless of whether countries have formal diplomatic ties, friends from all nations are welcome to engage in exchanges.” During his visit, Vystrčil is also expected to meet with the president and vice president, as well as attend a screening of the documentary “I Am Taiwanese,” which chronicles his 2020 visit to Taiwan.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#MilošVystrčil #czechia #czechrepublic #taiwan #taipei

受中方阻擋捷克議長韋德齊二度訪台改搭"華航"

2026-06-01

上回訪台在立法院說出"我是台灣人"的捷克參議院議長韋德齊，時隔6年再度訪台，引來中國大使館強烈譴責，現任總理巴比斯甚至拒絕提供行政專機，讓他搭華航來訪，對此韋德齊強調捷克和台灣都是自由民主國家，不用聽別人的命令。

[[捷克議長韋德齊(口譯轉述)]]
“捷克國會參院議長，拜訪台灣立法院院長，是完全沒有問題的，北京推動一個中國原則的國家不喜歡，這是很自然的，不是我們一定要遵守。台灣和捷克，兩個都是自由民主國家，不一定要聽別人的命令，應該跟誰交朋友，不該跟誰交朋友，捷克跟台灣之間的合作，是基於在互利互惠的基礎上，給兩個國家都帶來很多利益和好處，台灣應該當捷克的朋友，捷克一定要當台灣的朋友”

[[立法院長韓國瑜]]
“中華民國在國際上的處境非常困難，我們要在國際上呼吸一口新鮮的空氣，所以國會外交，變成非常重要”

韋德齊第一站拜訪立法院長韓國瑜，送上象徵屹立不倒的捷克獅，期許台捷關係能從挫敗中站起來，韓國瑜則強調"不管有沒有邦交，都歡迎各國朋友來交流"。韋德齊此行除了將晉見總統、副總統，也將出席關於他在2020年訪台的紀錄片「我是台灣人」（I am Taiwanese）的放映活動。

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Lin Chun-tao
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Students have put together a feast that not only impresses the teachers, but also make themselves proud. Everything they’ve learned over the past three years is distilled at their graduation banquet.

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