The Czech government is considering listing a military attache at the Chinese embassy in Prague as persona non grata after reports that they allegedly followed vice president-elect Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) during her visit to the Central European country last month.
European Values Center for Security Policy director Jakub Janda on Friday cited Czech-language Web site Seznam Zpravy as reporting that a Chinese diplomat had been stopped by police while following Hsiao’s motorcade as it entered Prague from the airport.
The Czech Police Protective Service provided security for Hsiao, who was visiting at the invitation of Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil, the report said.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Police stopped a car tailing Hsiao’s motorcade when it ran a red light, and upon inspection, they discovered that the driver was “a Chinese diplomat from the military section of the Chinese embassy in Prague,” it said, adding that the surveillance of Hsiao “continued to her hotel in Prague.”
Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs Jan Lipavsky spoke with Chinese Ambassador to the Czech Republic Feng Biao (馮?) about the incident and “does not consider the issue to be closed,” the report said.
Citing Czech government sources, it said that Prague is considering listing the individual as persona non grata.
In Taipei, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that while in Europe, Hsiao had also met with Czech Chamber of Deputies Deputy Speaker Jan Bartosek, Lithuanian Seimas Speaker Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen, Polish Senate Deputy Marshal Michal Kaminski, and lawmakers from Estonia and Latvia.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) yesterday said the alleged following of Hsiao was shameful conduct for a major world power.
The act underscored that Beijing is not only unwilling to play by established international rules, it disrespects the sovereignty of other nations, Wang said.
DPP Legislator Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) said it was not a small issue and likely not an isolated incident, urging other democratic countries to condemn Beijing’s actions.
Hsiao’s low-profile visit to Europe contrasted with the attention-grabbing tailing of the incoming vice president by China, and underscores Beijing’s efforts to stop at nothing to undermine Taipei’s efforts to broaden its international relations, she said.
DPP Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) called Beijing’s actions deplorable, adding that the incident calls attention to China’s abuse of diplomatic immunity to conduct acts of espionage.
Taiwan should work with the international community to implement measures that would prevent China’s rampant interventionism and illegal tailing of individuals overseas, he said.
Taiwan aims to open 18 representative offices and seven Taiwan Tourism Information Centers worldwide by next year to attract international visitors, the Tourism Administration said on Saturday. The agency has so far opened three representative offices abroad this year and would open two more before the end of the year, it said. It has also already opened information centers in Jakarta, Mumbai and Paris, and is to open one in Vancouver next month and in Manila in December, it said. Next year, it would also open offices in Amsterdam, Dubai and Sydney, it added. While the Cabinet did not mention international tourists in its
EYES AT SEA: Many marine enthusiasts have expressed interest in volunteering for coastal patrols, which would help identify stowaways and illegal fishing, the CGA said Six thousand coastal patrol volunteers are to be recruited for 159 inspection offices to enhance the nation’s response to “gray zone” conflicts, Coast Guard Administration (CGA) sources said yesterday. Volunteer teams would be established to increase the resilience of coastal defense systems in the wake of two unlawful entries attempted by Chinese over the past three months, Ocean Affairs Council Minister Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) said. A former Chinese navy captain drove a motorboat into the Tamsui River (淡水河) in Taipei on the eve of the Dragon Boat Festival in June, while another Chinese man sailed in a rubber boat into the Houkeng
NEXT LEVEL: The defense ministry confirmed that a video released last month featured personnel piloting new FPV drone systems being developed by the Armaments Bureau Taipei and Washington are pushing for their drone companies to work together to establish a China-free supply chain, the Financial Times reported on Friday. A delegation of high-level executives and US government officials were yesterday to arrive in Taipei to discuss with their Taiwanese counterparts collaboration on drone technology procurement and development, the report said. The executives represent 26 US manufacturers of drone and counter-drone systems, while the officials are from the US Department of Commerce and the US Department of Defense’s Defense Innovation Unit, along with Dev Shenoy, principal director for microelectronics in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense
‘ANONYMOUS 64’: A national security official said that it is an attempt by China to increase domestic anti-Taiwanese sentiment and inflame cross-strait tensions The Ministry of National Defense’s (MND) Information, Communications and Electronic Force Command (ICEFCOM) yesterday denied accusations by China that it had undermined regional security by carrying out cyberattacks against targets in China, adding instead that Beijing was responsible for raising tensions and undermining regional peace. The Chinese Ministry of State Security on WeChat accused a hacker group called “Anonymous 64” of targeting China, Hong Kong and Macau starting earlier this year through frequent cyberattacks. The group carried out cyberattacks to seize control of Web sites, outdoor electronic billboards and video-on-demand platforms in China, Hong Kong and Macau, it said, adding the hackers’