China objects to Czech official's Taiwan trip

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Qin Gang has summoned Czech Ambassador to China Vladimir Tomsik to lodge stern representations against Czech Senate Speaker Milos Vystrcil’s visit to Taiwan.

Ignoring China’s strong opposition, Vystrcil still chose to visit Taiwan and publicly supported the “Taiwan independence” forces and relevant activities. Such an act is a severe violation of China’s sovereignty and gross interference in China’s internal affairs, said Qin.

There is only one China in the world, Qin said. The government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole China, and this has long been recognized by the international community, he noted, adding, the one-China principle is the Czech national foreign policy and the political foundation of Sino-Czech relations.

Vystrcil violated the one-China policy that Czech officials have always promised and seriously violated international law and the basic norms of international relations. China will surely make a necessary response to safeguard its legitimate interests, he warned.

China has repeatedly said that it opposes countries with which it holds formal diplomatic ties conducting official exchanges with Taiwan.

Despite warnings from the Chinese Embassy and Czech Republic’s presidential office, Senate Speaker Milos Vystrcil — along with a team of 90 — started their six-day visit in the island on Sunday with so-called “trade mission.” Vystrcil is the second-highest official in the Czech Republic and will meet Taiwan leaders, including Tsai Ing-wen.

China urges the Czech side to face up to China’s solemn position and serious concerns and fully understand the nature of the visit to Taiwan, Qin stressed. He said China hopes the country can take practical actions to abide by the one-China principle and avoid further damages to bilateral relations.

The head of the Department of European Affairs of China’s Foreign Ministry and the Chinese Embassy in the Czech Republic also lodged solemn representations with the Czech Embassy and the Czech Foreign Ministry. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi also denounced the visit, saying that any effort challenging the one-China principle will pay a heavy price.

Wang, who made the remarks during his visit to Germany, said that Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinese territory. Challenging the one-China principle on Taiwan question is an attempt to turn against the 1.4 billion Chinese people and an action of breaching international law and regulations.

“Regarding Czech Senate speaker’s open provocation and the anti-China force behind him, the Chinese government and Chinese people won’t take a laissez-faire attitude or sit idly by, and will make him pay a heavy price for his short-sighted behavior and political opportunism,” said Wang.

Last October, Beijing and Prague scrapped their 3-year-old twinning deal triggered by the Czech capital’s unilateral backing out of a clause on one-China policy. Shanghai, too, terminated its sister-city relationship with Prague.