The Czech Republic’s Senate on Wednesday passed a resolution that supports a possible visit by the senate president to Taiwan.
The resolution, initiated by Czech Senator Pavel Fischer, was passed with 50 votes in favor, one against and one abstention.
The resolution blasts Beijing for having its Prague embassy send a letter to former Czech Senate president Jaroslav Kubera earlier this year threatening repercussions for Czech businesses if he visited Taiwan.
Photo: Screen grab from Milos Vystrcil’s Facebook page
The resolution shows the Senate’s support for a visit to Taiwan by Senate President Milos Vystrcil, accompanied by Czech business representatives, as the visit would be in the diplomatic long-term interests of the Czech Republic, the resolution stated.
Vystrcil said he has yet to make a final decision on whether to visit Taiwan, but the more China issues threats, the more likely it is for him to visit.
Vystrcil’s predecessor, Kubera, who passed away on Jan. 20 at the age of 72, was a long-time supporter of Taiwan, and had been preparing to visit Taipei in February.
Following his death, Czech media made public the Chinese embassy’s threat toward Kubera.
Kubera’s family later said that the threat contributed to his death.
In March, Czech government officials, including Czech President Milos Zeman, Cabinet members and legislative leaders, issued a joint statement condemning China’s actions.
The statement also said that the Czech Republic intends to continue cooperating with Taiwan in the fields of economics and culture without contravening Beijing’s “one China” principle or breaking the country’s diplomatic ties with China.
Vystrcil said that his office received telephone calls from the Chinese embassy, warning him against congratulating President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on her second-term inauguration on Wednesday.
In Taipei, Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said that the ministry would welcome a visit from a Czech politician.
Separately yesterday, Legislative Speaker Yu Shyi-kun (游錫堃) welcomed Vystrcil on Facebook, hoping that he would visit Taiwan after the pandemic eases.
While Zeman is considered a supporter of China, Czech Senate Vice President Miluse Horska, Prague Mayor Zdenek Hrib and Czech Chamber of Deputies member Marek Benda, who chairs the Czech Republic-Taiwan Friendship Group, sent their congratulations to Tsai in video clips.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft