French and German officials yesterday criticized Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) over a threat he issued because of Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil’s visit to Taiwan.
Wang was on a five-nation visit to Europe to counter US pressure on issues such as democracy in Hong Kong and data security regarding apps such as TikTok and WeChat, which US President Donald Trump is seeking to ban.
However, Wang’s trip was overshadowed by comments he made on Monday, when he called Vystrcil’s visit to Taiwan a “provocation” and said that the senate president would “pay a heavy price.”
Photo: Reuters
French Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Agnes von der Muhll on Tuesday said that the Europe-China relationship must be based on the principle of dialogue and reciprocity, as well as mutual respect, and that the EU would not accept threats made to one its member countries, French media reported.
German Minister of Foreign Affairs Heiko Maas echoed the sentiment, saying that while the EU welcomed foreign partnerships, it expected respect from them.
“Threats have no place here [in Europe],” Maas said.
Europe must be confident in its protection of its own interests and must avoid becoming a puppet of powerful nations like the US, Russia or China, he said, adding that he had communicated Germany’s support for the Czech Republic to Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs Tomas Petricek.
Maas also criticized China over human rights abuses, including mass internment of Uighurs in camps in Xinjiang and its implementation of national security legislation in Hong Kong.
Maas called on China to redact the Hong Kong legislation, to implement universal suffrage in the territory and to uphold its “one China, two countries” framework that promises a high degree of autonomy to Hong Kong and Macau.
However, Wang said that Xinjiang and Hong Kong were China’s internal matters and that foreign interference was unwelcome.
Slovak President Zuzana Caputova also spoke out about Wang’s threat to Vystrcil, tweeting that “#Slovakia stands by the Czech Republic. #EU-#China relations are based on dialogue and mutual respect.”
Slovakia and the Czech Republic were previously one nation, Czechoslovakia, but separated in 1993 and today maintain close ties.
“Threats directed at one of the EU members and its representatives contradict the very essence of our partnership and as such are unacceptable,” Caputova wrote.
Meanwhile, European Commission foreign affairs spokesman Peter Stano said that he was “unhappy to see such diplomatic language,” and that China and the Czech Republic should engage in dialogue.
The EU and China would continue to discuss Taiwan, Hong Kong and other issues, Stano said.
FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION: The UK would continue to reinforce ties with Taiwan ‘in a wide range of areas’ as a part of a ‘strong unofficial relationship,’ a paper said The UK plans to conduct more freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. British Member of Parliament Desmond Swayne said that the Royal Navy’s HMS Spey had passed through the Taiwan Strait “in pursuit of vital international freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.” Swayne asked Lammy whether he agreed that it was “proper and lawful” to do so, and if the UK would continue to carry out similar operations. Lammy replied “yes” to both questions. The
Two US House of Representatives committees yesterday condemned China’s attempt to orchestrate a crash involving Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim’s (蕭美琴) car when she visited the Czech Republic last year as vice president-elect. Czech local media in March last year reported that a Chinese diplomat had run a red light while following Hsiao’s car from the airport, and Czech intelligence last week told local media that Chinese diplomats and agents had also planned to stage a demonstrative car collision. Hsiao on Saturday shared a Reuters news report on the incident through her account on social media platform X and wrote: “I
SHIFT PRIORITIES: The US should first help Taiwan respond to actions China is already taking, instead of focusing too heavily on deterring a large-scale invasion, an expert said US Air Force leaders on Thursday voiced concerns about the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) missile capabilities and its development of a “kill web,” and said that the US Department of Defense’s budget request for next year prioritizes bolstering defenses in the Indo-Pacific region due to the increasing threat posed by China. US experts said that a full-scale Chinese invasion of Taiwan is risky and unlikely, with Beijing more likely to pursue coercive tactics such as political warfare or blockades to achieve its goals. Senior air force and US Space Force leaders, including US Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink and
Czech officials have confirmed that Chinese agents surveilled Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) during her visit to Prague in March 2024 and planned a collision with her car as part of an “unprecedented” provocation by Beijing in Europe. Czech Military Intelligence learned that their Chinese counterparts attempted to create conditions to carry out a demonstrative incident involving Hsiao, which “did not go beyond the preparation stage,” agency director Petr Bartovsky told Czech Radio in a report yesterday. In addition, a Chinese diplomat ran a red light to maintain surveillance of the Taiwanese
RSS