Taiwan's foreign minister thanks Czechia for support, receives medal from Senate chair

Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Jaushieh Joseph Wu paid tribute to the Czech Republic for its leading role in supporting Taiwan, which he said provides an example for others. Mr Wu went on to say that Taiwan and Czechia may be divided by thousands of miles, but are connected by shared visions and values. The Taiwanese foreign minister also paid tribute to the democratic values of former Czech President Václav Havel, former Senate Chair Jaroslav Kubera and to the latter’s current successor Miloš Vystrčil.

The statements were made on Wednesday, during a conference organised on the occasion of Taiwan sending its foreign minister and a business delegation to Prague this week.

Wednesday also saw Senate Chair Miloš Vystrčil present Taiwan’s foreign minister with a silver medal for developing Czech-Taiwanese relations and defending democracy and freedom. The two men and their teams discussed opportunities in the areas of industry and cybersecurity. Mr Wu is also due to meet with Prague mayor Zdeněk Hřib later on Wednesday.

Both Miloš Vystrčil and Zdeněk Hřib have been vocal supporters of Taiwan’s right to independence, drawing protest and various sanctions from China. Their meetings come in the midst of a four-day mission by a Taiwanese delegation of some 50 entrepreneurs.

Taiwanese delegations have been visiting the Czech Republic as part of regular bilateral economic consultations since 2016 in cooperation with the Ministry of Industry and Trade, despite objections by the Chinese Embassy in Prague.

Representatives of the Czech Republic and Taiwan this week have concluded new memoranda to expand cooperation in Internet security, the aerospace industry, the development of catalyst technologies and precision engineering.