Trade representatives from Taiwan have been touring central Europe in the past few days. Following close behind on a European charm offensive was Taiwan’s top diplomat.
Two old friends meet again. Foreign Minister Joseph Wu was in the Czech Republic this week meeting Czech Senate President Miloš Vystrčil. There was plenty of time for fist bumps and photos.
After holding talks, Wu and Vystrčil gave a joint press conference. Wu says Taiwan is facing growing pressure from China.
Japanese media paid particularly close attention to Wu’s movements in Prague, even capturing the moment the two politicians took a selfie.
Aside from his visit to the Czech Senate, Wu also gave a keynote address at the Czech Academy of Sciences alongside representatives of the Czech thinktank Sinopsis. Wu drew parallels between the present day situation with China and the policy of appeasement towards the Nazis before the Second World War.
Wu says “in the face of authoritarianism, dictatorship and military expansion, global democracies should be firm in their will to actively defend their shared values of freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law”.
Meanwhile, US media company Politico is reporting that Wu will take part in a covert trip to Brussels to meet with EU officials. For now, that trip is officially off the record, and it’s not clear who Wu will meet. Nonetheless, it’s set to be a big week for Taiwan’s efforts to foster closer ties with Europe.