Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi has called Czech Senate President Miloš Vystrčil’s five-day trip to Taiwan a ‘blatant provocation.’ Wang said that Vystrčil will pay a ‘heavy price’ for short-sighted and opportunistic behavior.
Vystrčil is leading an 89-person Czech delegation to Taiwan made up of Czech leaders, businesspeople, and scholars.
For his part, Vystrčil says that freedom and democracy are the basis upon which Taiwan-Czech relations prosper. He says that he hopes relations between the two countries can continue to thrive.
During a Czech-Taiwan forum on Monday, Economics Minister Wang Mei-hua did not address the Chinese foreign minister’s words directly, but said that Taiwan and the Czech Republic value democracy, freedom, and human rights. Wang said that any country that values democracy will always put these three values before financial and economic gain.