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Taiwan
ChinaDiplomacy

Taiwanese hurt by Czech politician’s about-face after warm visit: ‘I never called Taiwan an independent state’

  • Taiwanese netizens question Covid-19 donations to Czech Republic and medal awarded to Milos Vystrcil
  • Czech President Milos Zeman accused senate president of ‘boyish provocation’ and sought to calm Beijing

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The Czech senate president Milos Vystrcil delivers a speech at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei, Taiwan, on September 1, 2020. Photo: AP
Lawrence Chung
The warm reception given to Czech senate president Milos Vystrcil in Taipei just over a week ago has dramatically cooled after he has since denied saying that Taiwan was an independent country, triggering debate among Taiwanese netizens over whether it was worth inviting him, particularly given the island’s donation of 100,000 surgical masks and five mask production lines to his country.
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In late August, Vystrcil led an 89-member delegation of Czech civic and political leaders to Taipei, the largest-ever Czech delegation to Taiwan since his country became democratic in 1989, ending Communist rule.

His visit was cordially welcomed by the island and in one speech he made the remark “Wo Shi Taiwan Ren” (I am Taiwanese) that won the hearts of Taiwanese who were moved by his love and support.

But once he was back home Vystrcil said during a CNN TV interview on September 6 that he had never called Taiwan an independent state.

Czech President Milos Zeman, who opts for closer ties with Beijing, said during an interview with CNN Prima on September 6 that Vystrcil did not respect the majority opinion of senior officials in the Czech Republic and had jeopardised domestic firms by making them subject to potential Chinese retaliation.

Zeman accused the Senate speaker of a “boyish provocation” for visiting Taiwan as the government sought to calm China’s anger over the trip and said Vystrcil would no longer be invited to foreign policy briefings.
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Vystrcil said: “President Zeman lied three times … We never discussed whether I should go to Taiwan or meeting officials there. We never voted on it, and I never called Taiwan an independent state.”

Vystrcil’s Taiwan visit from August 30 to September 4 attracted international attention because the trip was greeted with fury by mainland China which considers the island its territory, subject to eventual union by force if needed.
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