The Czech Foreign Ministry announced on Monday that its newest center, the Czech Centre Taipei, is scheduled to commence operations on Friday.
Czech Centres General Director Jitka Panek Jurkova says that the Czech people want to be seen and heard in Taipei, adding that the goal of Czech Centre Taipei is to deepen the Taiwanese people’s understanding of Czech traditional and contemporary culture.
French international news agency Agence France-Presse says that as a member of the European Union and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the Czech Republic has expressed support for the “One China Policy,” yet officials continue opting towards strengthening their relations with Taiwan.
Jurkova says that while this move may anger China, which does not currently have a Czech Centre, the decision to open a Czech Centre in Taiwan was made to promote cultural and diplomatic relations between the nations.
The Czech Foreign Ministry has 28 Czech Centres in 25 countries across the world which are responsible for promoting Czech history, language, culture, tourism, and foreign trade. The Czech Foreign Ministry announced that it will additionally feature a photography exhibition alongside the center’s opening on Friday.