TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil said Monday that Taiwan and the Czech Republic do not need to follow Beijing's dictates on whom they can befriend.
Vystrcil arrived in Taiwan Monday with his delegation, marking his first visit to the country in six years and drawing criticism from Beijing, per Liberty Times. Ahead of the visit, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Czech counterpart, Petr Macinka, on May 26 that Taiwan is China's internal issue and that the Czech Republic should adhere to the “One China principle,” per The Standard.
Speaking to reporters at the Legislative Yuan, he said there is nothing wrong with the Czech Senate president meeting with the speaker of Taiwan's legislature, per FTV News. He said that supporters of Beijing's “one China principle” may view the visit unfavorably, "but that does not mean that we are obligated to follow it.”
Vystrcil said Taiwan and the Czech Republic are “both free and democratic countries, and we do not have to obey others' orders about who we should or should not be friends with,” FTV News reported. He said that cooperation between the two countries is based on mutual benefit and has brought many advantages to both sides.
Vystrcil noted that he had asked the full Senate before departing whether members backed his Taiwan visit and continued cooperation with Taiwan's legislature, with about 80% of those present expressing support, Liberty Times reported. He also revealed during their meeting in the Legislative Yuan that he had invited Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) to visit the Czech Republic.
