June 11, 2020, 12:42 PM
The president of the Czech Republic's Senate, Miloš Vystrčil, said on June 9 that threats from Beijing, and a desire to "uphold democratic values", hardened his resolve to visit Taiwan.
This is in spite of the risk of angering China, which views Taiwan as a wayward province that needs to be reunited with the mainland, even if force had to be used.
Letter from Chinese embassy contributed to predecessor's death
Previously, the late Jaroslav Kubera, who was the chairman of the Czech Republic’s upper house of parliament -- Czech Republic's number two after President Milos Zeman -- was scheduled to visit Taiwan in February.
Kubera in May 2019. (Image via Getty Images)
His plan had reportedly angered Zeman, according to ABC News.
Zeman is a strong proponent of closer ties with China.
Zemen with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on April 28, 2019. (Image via Xinhua)
However, Kubera passed away unexpectedly on Jan. 20 from a heart attack, Reuters reported.
The Czech president's office previously received a Jan. 10 letter from the Chinese embassy in Prague, which threatened to retaliate against Czech companies if Kubera went ahead with the trip.
According to Focus Taiwan, the English-language arm of Central News Agency (CNA), Kubera's family said the letter contributed to his death.
Trip to Taiwan would violate the "One China" policy: Chinese embassy
The letter stated that Kubera's trip -- scheduled to take place from Aug. 30 to Sep. 5 -- would be "a serious breach" of the One China policy, Reuters reported.
Under this tacit understanding between the Chinese Communist Party and Taiwan's Kuomintang party, Beijing views itself as the sole representative of China, which includes the Taiwan island.
The letter then went on to say that Czech companies with economic interests in China "will have to pay for the visit to Taiwan by Chairman Kubera".
It continued: "China is the largest foreign market for many Czech companies like Skoda Auto, Home Credit Group, Klaviry Petrof and others".
The letter's veracity was later confirmed by the Czech president's spokesman, who declined to comment on its contents.
Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis later hit back at China by saying it should replace its ambassador in the Czech Republic, Reuters reported.
China warned him not to congratulate Tsai
Vystrčil, who took over Kubera's position, said at the June 9 press conference that he was "dismayed" by the letter, and that he could not bear the influence China exerts on his country, Focus Taiwan reported.
He added that when top Czech government officials had to tiptoe around China when discussing issues related to it, he realised just how weak Czech officials are when dealing with China.
The two countries are not equal partners, he said.
He also claimed China warned him not to congratulate Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on her inauguration for a second term -- a warning that Brazil had received from its Chinese embassy too.
In addition, he said China expressed its opposition when he thanked Taiwan for its donation of face masks.
Citing the Czech Republic's history of sticking to the values of "freedom, democracy, independence and the rule of law over financial gain", Vystrčil said he is inclined to uphold these values instead of "counting money".
"Otherwise, sooner or later, we might find out we have nothing at all," he said.
"Buď budeme držet své principy a své hodnoty, anebo budeme počítat groše. Přikláním se k tomu, abychom přestali počítat groše, protože jednou bychom mohli zjistit, že už vůbec žádné nemáme." @Vystrcil_Milos
— Senát Parlamentu ČR (@SenatCZ) June 9, 2020
Celý záznam tiskového briefingu 👉 https://t.co/HMELMviWUW pic.twitter.com/LxHBhn0ojN
Relations between China and Czech Republic took a dip in 2019 when Prague local authorities expressed support for Taiwan and Tibet.
Chinese Foreign Ministry: Not aware of where info came from
The Chinese Foreign Ministry, when asked about the letter, said it was unaware of where the information had come from, and reiterated that China "resolutely opposes a country that has established diplomatic relations with China having official exchanges with Taiwan authorities in any form", according to Reuters.
On the other hand, the Taiwanese Foreign Affairs Ministry's spokesperson Joanne Ou slammed China's warning to Prague, saying such pressure on the country proves that the Belt and Road Initiative is a "predatory policy tool" that only brings "counter-effects to the global business order".
Top image via Miloš Vystrčil's Twitter
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