Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers castigated the Prague City Council’s support for China’s claim of sovereignty over Taiwan in a sistership agreement that the city has signed with Beijing, and called on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the premier to express the nation’s disapproval.
The city assembly on Thursday ratified an agreement which included a clause stating that “Prague recognizes the one-China policy, as well as recognizes Taiwan as an inseparable part of Chinese territory.”
The phrase was a major impediment to the signing of the agreement — which has been under negotiation since the summer of last year. The council’s final decision has met the opprobrium of Taiwanese legislators and Czech councilors alike.
DPP Legislator Chou Chun-mi (周春米) on Friday demanded to know the nation’s response to the slight on the nation’s sovereignty after raising the issue with Premier Simon Chang (張善政).
Chang said the nation did not recognize the claim, adding that the Republic of China (ROC) was not involved in the negotiating or signing of the agreement.
Other countries have similar deals, and while the government must respond to the incident, it is not within the remit of the Legislative Yuan to do so, Chang said, adding that the government must have an appropriate platform to tender its protests to the Czech government.
Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lin (林永樂) said the ministry would strongly protest any action slighting Taiwan’s sovereignty, adding that the foreign ministry would express its concerns to the Czech government.
While Prague Mayor Adriana Krnacova said that the agreement was mutually beneficial to both Beijing and Prague, and called for an increase in exchanges aimed at mutual development and prosperity, its passage has caused controversy in the city assembly.
According to reports in the Prague Post, assembly member Lukas Kaucky of the Czech Socialist Democratic Party said the policy was in line with the Czech Republic’s foreign policy and that it was passed because Prague also has a sister city agreement with Taipei, which was signed in 2001.
However, Tradition Responsibility Prosperity party founder Miroslav Kalousek said the city had overstepped its authority by engaging in activity that falls under the purview of the national government, according to the report.
“There’s no reason why a clause about high-level international policy should be in an agreement between two cities,” Kalousek said, adding that its only possible purpose was to show timidity and submissiveness to an authoritarian regime, the report said.
“With a partnership with Beijing where Prague recognizes Taiwan as part of China and disagrees with an independent Tibet. It is an undignified shame on Prague,” Assembly member Ondeej Mirovsky said on Facebook.
The foreign ministry has ordered the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Prague to protest the incident while asking for a clarification on the issue from the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as demanding that the Czech government rectify the situation.
The ROC has always been a sovereign, independent and democratic nation since its founding in 1912, has independent diplomatic relations and is an active member in international organizations, Lin said.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated