[Text/Observer Network Wang Hui] The President of the Czech Senate Vitzy will lead a delegation to visit Taiwan at the end of this month. The Mayor of Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, He Ruipu, also said that he would go with the delegation. This move not only met with strong opposition from mainland China, but also caused a lot of controversy within the Czech government. The Czech president, prime minister, and foreign minister all expressed their opposition.
However, the Taiwan authorities and Taiwan’s green media are very excited and hype that "this is the highest-ranking Czech official who has visited Taiwan in history." The Taiwan authorities said they would compare the former Japanese Prime Minister Mori and U.S. Secretary of Health Aza’s specifications warmly entertained Witzi and his party. The US Secretary of State Pompeo, who is visiting the Czech Republic, also fancied that he appreciates this move.
Vitzi (left) and He Ruipu (right) Taiwanese media map
integrated "China Times Electronic News", "United News Network" and other Taiwanese media reported on the 12th that the Czech Senate President Vitzi will lead a delegation from Prague to Taipei on August 29. He will return to the Czech Republic on the 5th of next month. About 90 members of the delegation included not only scientific researchers, parliamentarians, but also representatives of the Czech business community. An official from the economic department of the Taiwan authorities stated that Czech companies are very interested in major EMS (electronic professional manufacturing services) manufacturers in Taiwan, and some representatives of Czech companies hope to communicate and negotiate with Taiwanese companies during their visit.
After the itinerary of Vitzi was confirmed, the mayor of Prague, the Czech capital, Heripp, also came to join in the fun, specifically posting on Facebook saying that he would go with Vitzi. This will be his second visit to Taiwan in a year and a half. In March last year, Horup had visited Taiwan for the first time as mayor. It is reported that he will have a personal itinerary during this visit to Taiwan and will meet with representatives of Taipei City.
The Taiwan authorities were very excited about the visit of Vitzi and others, and hyped up that "this is the highest-level Czech official who has visited Taiwan in history." Taiwan’s "Presidential Office" spokesperson Zhang Dunhan said that they will follow the specifications of former Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori and US Secretary of Health Aza, and in accordance with etiquette and the epidemic prevention regulations of the Taiwan authorities’ Epidemic Command Center, warmly entertain Witzi and others. What are the specifications of the delegations of the United States and Japan?
On August 12, U.S. Secretary of Health Azar just concluded a three-day visit to Taiwan. He claimed that he was going to "consult" the experience of fighting the epidemic and seeking "cooperation" to fight the epidemic.
However, during Azar's visit to Taiwan, the Taiwan authorities even granted an "exemption" from the 14-day quarantine measure. As long as the nucleic acid test result is negative, they can move around, as long as they wear a mask to maintain social distancing. In addition to the exemption of quarantine from U.S. dignitaries such as Azhar, a group of Japanese were given the green light when they visited Taiwan not long ago. Former Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori led a team to Taiwan to mourn Lee Teng-hui on August 9, and a group of people took a special plane back and forth on the same day. The "epidemic command center" of the Taiwan authorities only requires them to attach a nucleic acid test report one to two days before boarding, and there is no need to re-check at the airport of entry.
Taiwan authorities "Minister of Health and Welfare" Chen Shizhong said that US and Japanese politicians come to Taiwan to avoid quarantine, and he will be responsible if they are infected. He also said that this is a "diplomatic immunity bubble." In the future, foreign officials will come to Taiwan, as long as they are "as important" as them, they do not need to be isolated.
Regarding the visit of the Czech delegation to Taiwan, the US Secretary of State Pompeo, who is currently visiting the Czech Republic, said that he appreciated it very much.
Although Pompeo stirred up the water, the Taiwan authorities expressed a "warm welcome" to Vitzi and his party, and wanted to receive a "high-level" reception, the Czech government clearly opposed their move. First, the Czech Foreign Minister suggested that Vitzi should not visit Taiwan. Then the President and Prime Minister of the Czech Republic also expressed their opposition, accusing Vitzi's visit to Taiwan to undermine Czech-China relations.
The Czech Republic is one of the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China, and the Czech government has also long adhered to the one-China policy. However, in 2018, after the European right-wing Pirate Party candidate, He Ruipu, became the mayor of Prague, he announced the abolition of the one-China policy and Taiwan’s indivisible territory clause in the sister city agreement concluded between the previous mayor and Beijing. In addition, he also met the leader of Tibet's "government in exile" in 2019. German media commented that this series of actions not only impacted the Czech national foreign policy, but also created a lot of disturbances in the development of Czech-China relations. The mainland side also expressed clear opposition to the visit of the Czech delegation to Taiwan. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian stated at a regular press conference on August 12 that China has always opposed any form of official exchanges between countries with diplomatic ties with Taiwan. The rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the reunification of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are bothThe inevitability of history. Going against the trend is bound to end; splitting the country is doomed to stinks for thousands of years.
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