TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) welcomed Marek Benda, chairman of the Czech House of Representatives’ Taiwan Friendship Group, to Taiwan on Monday (Nov. 11).
Benda is leading a delegation visiting Taiwan from Monday to Thursday to discuss Taiwan-Czech relations and bilateral cooperation with high-ranking officials, including President Lai Ching-te (賴清德), according to MOFA. The lawmakers will also engage with think tanks to exchange views on cybersecurity, combating disinformation, and countering foreign interference alongside local experts and scholars.
MOFA noted that Benda has been a staunch supporter of Taiwan since he entered politics in the 1990s. Serving as the head of the Taiwan Friendship Group for over 20 years, he has visited Taiwan multiple times and has been pivotal in advancing Taiwan-Czech cooperation, promoting bilateral exchanges, and resisting Chinese coercion, the ministry said.
The Czech Republic is a reliable partner of Taiwan that shares the universal values of democracy, freedom, and human rights, MOFA added, pledging to further deepen cooperation with the Czech Republic.
In October, the two countries inaugurated the Advanced Chip Design Research Center in Brno as part of a Taiwan-Czech partnership program aimed at bolstering industrial ties and supply chain resilience. Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said at the ceremony that this bilateral collaboration will enhance economic security and democratic resilience for both countries and other democratic allies across Central and Eastern Europe.
Earlier in October, former President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) spoke at the Forum 2000 conference in Prague, where she warned that global democracies face unprecedented challenges from authoritarian regimes seeking to erode citizen trust in democratic institutions through gray-zone tactics, military threats, and cognitive and information warfare. She called for closer cooperation between Taiwan and Europe to counter these threats, saying, "We share a common understanding of the preciousness and fragility of democracy, and because of our shared experience, we know why we must come together."