by Aneta Zachova
Newly elected Czech president Petr Pavel’s phone call with Taiwanese President Tsai Jing-wen on Monday has caused anger in Beijing as tensions between China and Taiwan simmer over Taipei’s continued assertion of its autonomy on the global stage and an ongoing trade spat.
According to the Taiwanese President’s office, the call lasted about a quarter of an hour and Tsai expressed her wish to stay in touch with Pavel.
Pavel’s phone call sparked criticism from China. The Czech daily Denik N reported that Czech diplomacy confirmed that the Chinese ministry had contacted the Czech embassy in Beijing and expressed concern.
“We can confirm that the Chinese Foreign Ministry has contacted our colleagues from the (Czech) embassy in Beijing by phone. The Chinese side expressed concern over media information about the upcoming phone call between the president-elect and the Taiwanese president,” Czech Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mariana Wernerova told iDnes.
Pavel – former chief of the NATO military committee – was elected on Saturday (28 January) and will officially be inaugurated as Czech president on 9 March. Until then, the official president of the country is Milos Zeman, a politician well known for his pro-Chinese views. However, Pavel is already establishing relationships with his future counterparts.
“Today, I spoke with the president of Taiwan Tsai Ing-wen. I thanked her for her congratulations and I assured her that Taiwan and the Czech Republic share the values of freedom, democracy, and human rights. We agreed on strengthening our partnership,” Petr Pavel tweeted on Monday.
China considers Taiwan as its province and the leaders of many countries do not officially meet with Taiwanese top officials in an effort not to provoke Beijing.
Over the last year, tensions between Taiwan and China have increased as Taiwan has increased its diplomatic presence and relationships with Western countries. This has led to China cracking down on Taiwanese trade into the country and even blocking the import of certain items.
The Czech Republic officially follows a one-China policy and officially recognises only mainland China. However, the Czech government as well as the new president-elect declare its interest in cooperating with Taiwan due to its democratic setup.
*first published in: Euractiv.com
By: N. Peter Kramer
