According to the Foreign Ministry’s Tuesday press release, Deputy Speaker of the Czech Chamber of Deputies Jan Bartošek met with Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) on Monday.
During the meeting, Foreign Minister Lin expressed gratitude for the Czech Republic’s long-term support of Taiwan’s international participation. He says Taiwan and the Czech Republic maintain close cooperation in areas such as trade and economy, technology, and culture. He gave examples such as the upcoming National Palace Museum exhibition of artifacts to be held in the Czech Republic this September. Lin adds that direct flights between the two nations are also expected to increase in the second half of this year.
Given Bartošek’s expertise in security issues, Lin says that Taiwan has long faced cyberattacks, disinformation manipulation, and cognitive warfare from China. Bartošek echoed Lin’s assessment and says authoritarian states utilize cyberattacks and disinformation in an attempt to undermine democratic systems. Bartošek points out that deepfake technologies enabled by artificial intelligence make it difficult for the public to discern the authenticity of audio and video content. He also warns how algorithm-driven social media intensifies societal divisions and says democratic countries must strengthen cooperation to counter the information warfare and disinformation threats posed by China and Russia.
The Foreign Ministry says both countries share a strong commitment to democratic values and that Taiwan will further deepen its partnership with the Czech Republic to jointly respond to emerging security challenges and the threats posed by authoritarianism.