The Czech Republic has expressed its willingness to continue working with Taiwan in several areas, despite political pressure from Beijing, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday, welcoming more visits by Czechs.
On Wednesday, Czech President Milos Zeman met with other top officials for a diplomatic policy discussion about a threat from Chinese Ambassador to the Czech Republic Zhang Jianmin (張建敏).
China would retaliate against Czech businesses reliant on the Chinese market, including Skoda and Home Credit, if then-Czech Senate president Jaroslav Kubera visited Taiwan, Zhang said in a letter.
Kubera died in January before his visit scheduled for last month.
Without breaching its own “one China” principle, the Czech government said in a statement after the meeting that it would maintain collaboration with Taiwan in economic and cultural areas, and voiced dissatisfaction over Beijing’s menace and bilateral trade relations.
Taiwan and the Czech Republic share the values of democracy, freedom and human rights, and have maintained long-term collaboration in trade, technology, culture and education, ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) said in a statement yesterday.
Taiwan welcomes a visit by Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil and other friends from the country, she said.
The Czech Republic is Taiwan’s fourth-biggest investment target in Europe, with many Taiwanese firms investing in the high-tech, electronics, and information and communications technology fields, creating 23,000 job opportunities there, she said.
Last month, the two nations signed an agreement on preventing tax evasion or double taxation, which is to take effect in January next year, and further bilateral trade and personnel exchanges, she said.
Additional reporting by CNA
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