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TAIPEI, KOMPAS.com – The President of the Czech Senate, Milos Vystrcil, declared himself Taiwanese in a speech to the Taiwanese parliament on Tuesday (9/1/2020).
Reporting from ReutersVystrcil’s statement is likely to further enrage China.
China, which claims Taiwan as its territory, has threatened to make Vystrcil pay a “high price” for visiting the island.
The Czech Republic, like most countries in the world, also does not have formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan.
Also read: Condemned by China because officials visited Taiwan, Czech Foreign Minister: Too much
Speaking in front of the Taiwanese parliament, Vystrcil said that the late US President John F. Kennedy had declared that he was a Berliner.
Kennedy made that statement when he visited Berlin in 1963. Vystrcil added that Kennedy’s statement was an important message against communism.
“Let me also express your personal support for Taiwan and the highest value of freedom and end today’s speech … with a perhaps more humble, but equally powerful statement, which is ‘I am Taiwanese,'” Vystrcil said.
His statement was immediately met with applause.
Also read: Chinese Foreign Minister: The visit of a Czech diplomat to Taiwan will be paid generously
Vystrcil said his visit to Taiwan underscored the “values-based” foreign policy imposed by the late Czech President Vaclav Havel.
Havel was an anti-communist rebel and close friend of the exiled Tibetan leader, the Dalai Lama.
In fact, the Czech government did not approve of Vystrcil’s visit to Taiwan either.
However, when Vystrcil received strong criticism from Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Czech Foreign Minister Tomas Petricek immediately responded.
Also read: Czech office replacement visit to Taiwan, China Berang
Petricek said his party would summon the Chinese ambassador to the Czech Republic in Prague on Monday (8/31/2020).
Beijing did not want to lose and summoned the Czech ambassador to China on Monday.
Czech President Milos Zeman himself has maintained closer commercial and political ties with China since he took office in 2013.
However, their efforts were hampered by the failed investment plan.
The Czech Republic is also hesitant to allow the Chinese technology company Huawei to participate in the development of the 5G network.
Also read: The President of Taiwan, Tsai Ing-wen, vows not to surrender to Chinese pressure
