Prague Mayor Zdeněk Hřib has criticized China’s reaction to an ongoing visit to Taiwan by a Czech delegation. Hřib is one of the delegation’s 89 members. He was speaking Friday during an event organized by Taiwan’s foreign ministry.
China’s foreign minister warned Monday that the delegation’s head, Czech Senate President Miloš Vystrčil, will pay “a heavy price” for visiting Taiwan.
Hřib called the threat “completely unacceptable”. However, he said he has been pleased to see the reaction to the threat from fellow European countries, including Germany, France, and Slovakia.
Hřib said that the Czech government’s “one China policy” is not the same as the “one China principle” espoused by Beijing. He said that the Czech government’s China policy allows more flexibility, and that Czech dignitaries may visit whoever they like.
During the event, Hřib also said that promised Chinese investment in the Czech Republic has largely failed to materialize, and that the effects of Chinese investment in the country have been overestimated.