Slovak President Shows Support for Czech Delegation’s Taiwan Visit

Slovak President Zuzana Caputova has voiced support for the Czech Republic’s ongoing visit to Taiwan, calling Beijing’s threats to Czech Senate speaker Milos Vystrcil “unacceptable.”

In reaction to the 89-member Czech delegation to Taiwan, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Monday (Aug. 31) during a press conference with his German counterpart, Heiko Maas, that Vystrcil had “crossed a red line.”

He said the Czech Senate leader would “pay a heavy price” for publicly challenging Beijing’s “one-China policy” and encouraging supporters of Taiwanese independence.

Read: ‘I Am Taiwanese’: Czech Senate Speaker Channels JFK in Taiwan Speech

Despite the threats, Vystrcil said the Czech Republic will not bow to Beijing’s inappropriate demand and described his visit as a domestic affair. He also said the trip was made to honor the memory of the Czech Republic’s first president, Vaclav Havel, who was a strong advocate of Taiwan’s re-entry into the United Nations.

In a Twitter post published on Tuesday (Sept. 1), Caputova emphasized that “Slovakia stands by the Czech Republic” and said Beijing’s relations with the European Union are based on “dialogue and mutual respect.” She said Wang’s threat to Vystrcil was contrary to the nature of this partnership.

Read: Czech Senate Leader’s Delegation Arrives in Taiwan

Meanwhile, France and Germany have also expressed solidarity with the Czech Republic. The Western European nations criticized Beijing’s wolf warrior diplomacy, advising Beijing to consider adopting mutual respect instead of threatening an EU member state.

dir=”ltr”>#Slovakia stands by the Czech Republic. #EU–#China relations are based on dialogue and mutual respect. Threats directed at one of the EU members and its representatives contradict the very essence of our partnership and as such are unacceptable.

— Zuzana Čaputová (@ZuzanaCaputova) September 1, 2020