TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — European countries that strengthened ties with Taiwan in recent years now face pressure as leaders balance economic interests with Beijing and global uncertainty, Nikkei Asia reported Wednesday.
Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis, in office since December, has signaled a shift toward China. National security adviser Hynek Kmonicek told local media it would be “nonsensical” to give up on the Chinese market.
Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene, who took office in September, called the 2021 opening of a “Taiwanese Representative Office” in Vilnius a “mistake.” Beijing’s backlash included downgrading ties and expelling Lithuania’s ambassador.
Taiwan’s overseas missions usually use “Taipei” in their names to avoid provoking China. The naming issue has also complicated plans for a representative office in Estonia.
Slovakia’s government, in office since late 2023, effectively ended its annual economic ministerial consultations with Taiwan launched in 2021.
Former Czech lower house speaker Marketa Pekarova Adamova warned against sidelining Taiwan. She said Taiwan’s investments in Czechia generate five times more capital and create more than 10 times more jobs than Chinese investment, per the report.
Taiwan ranks as the fourth-largest foreign investor in Czechia, according to the Central European Institute of Asian Studies. Companies such as Foxconn, Pegatron, Wistron, and Inventec employ thousands and are major players in electronics manufacturing and exports.
Kmonicek acknowledged Czechia should not abandon Taiwan, but coalition partners may push for closer China ties. Adamova, who led the largest European delegation to Taiwan three years ago, emphasized Taiwan’s strategic importance.
Czechia has experienced other pressure from China. In 2024, Vice President-elect Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) faced a suspected assassination plot in Prague. Last month, a Chinese journalist was arrested on spying charges involving Czech and Slovak politicians.
Adamova warned that Donald Trump’s policies and disputes, such as over Greenland, could weaken European alliances. “If there are no rules in this world and there is just rule of the strongest... then we really will see unhappy moments in the future,” she said, citing risks from Russia and China.
Taiwan’s domestic political crisis adds another layer of concern. Opposition parties in the legislature have repeatedly blocked President Lai Ching-te’s (賴清德) defense budget, sparking alarm among foreign diplomats and US lawmakers.
France’s Representative to Taiwan Franck Paris last week called the budget impasse “very alarming,” warning it threatens key democratic mechanisms, per the report. Pekarova Adamova echoed similar sentiments, saying that self-defense should remain a bipartisan priority, citing Ukraine’s military buildup as an example of preparedness.
