Delegation led by Czech Senate vice president arrives in Taiwan

Taipei, June 10 (CNA) Czech Senate Vice President Jiří Drahoš arrived in Taiwan at the head of a 19-member delegation, including the country's Deputy Minister of Technology Jana Havlikova, for a six-day visit Monday.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), during the trip, which will last until Saturday, the group will meet with President Lai Ching-te (賴清德), Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴), Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰), Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) and Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍), among others.

Both sides will exchange views on mutually concerned issues on economic and trade, technology, education and culture, and deepen cooperation in areas spanning from key industries, science development, talent cultivation, culture and arts, MOFA said in a press release.

While in Taiwan, Drahoš is scheduled to host a Czech Republic semiconductor industry business opportunity forum and witness the signing of a cooperation agreement between the National Museum in Prague and Taiwan's National Palace Museum, MOFA said.

He will also open an exhibition on Czech castles and chateaus to be staged at the National Taiwan Museum in Taipei and launch a program on boosting Taiwan-Czech supply chain resilience, MOFA added.

Other members of the Czech delegation include Deputy Minister for Digitalization and Innovation at the Ministry of Industry and Trade Petr Očko, National Museum Director General Michal Lukeš, and several government officials and tech experts.

Drahoš, 75, is a Czech chemist and politician who has been a senator since October 2018. Previously, he served as president of the Czech Academy of Sciences from 2009 to 2017 and was a candidate in the 2018 Czech presidential election.

He last visited Taiwan in 2022.