Czech Republic, Taiwan Plan Direct Flights

Prague Mayor Zdeněk Hřib (Pirates) thanked Taiwan for its cooperation after talks this week with Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu.

Representatives of both countries have concluded new memoranda to expand cooperation in Internet security, the aerospace industry, the development of catalyst technologies and precision engineering.

Hřib negotiated with Wu, among other things, on a direct line between Prague and Taipei.

The negotiations were affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Wu said Taiwan “will do its utmost to restore tourist contacts and allow people to visit the Czech Republic.”

“We have talked with China Airlines representatives about the possibility of a direct line between the two cities,” he said, adding that the negotiations seem to be going well.

“I would like to appreciate that, from my point of view, Taiwan is clearly a much more reliable partner than the party of the People’s Republic of China used to be for us,” said the mayor of Prague.

Both Senate Chair Miloš Vystrčil and Zdeněk Hřib have been vocal supporters of Taiwan’s right to independence, drawing protest and various sanctions from China.

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.