Chinese agents surveilled VP Hsiao during 2024 trip: Czech officials

Taipei, June 26 (CNA) Czech officials have confirmed that Chinese agents surveilled Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) during her visit to Prague in March 2024 and planned a collision with her car as part of an "unprecedented" provocation by Beijing in Europe.

Czech Military Intelligence learned that their Chinese counterparts attempted to create conditions to carry out a demonstrative incident involving Hsiao, which "did not go beyond the preparation stage," agency director Petr Bartovský told Czech Radio in a report Thursday.

In addition, a Chinese diplomat ran a red light to maintain surveillance of the Taiwanese delegation, the report said.

These attempts took place during Hsiao's first overseas trip after she and then President-elect Lai Ching-te (賴清德) won the presidential election but before they were sworn in.

During the visit, Hsiao met and took photos with Czech Senate President Miloš Vystrčil, a meeting said to have angered China.

Local intelligence agents were prepared to intervene if necessary, according to Czech Radio, adding that Hsiao was never in immediate danger.

Jan Pejšek, spokesperson for the Czech Military Intelligence Service, described the Chinese officials' actions as "bordering on endangering her, gathering information about her schedule, and attempting to document her meetings with prominent figures from the Czech political and public spheres," according to Czech Radio.

The Chinese embassy "flagrantly violated obligations under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations," he added.

The agency said such a provocative attempt was "unprecedented" by China in Europe and the matter was reported to the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

However, Mariana Wernerová, spokesperson for the Czech Foreign Ministry, told Czech Radio the ministry "cannot comment on the details of this or other similarly sensitive cases," though they have communicated with the Chinese side on the matter.

The Chinese embassy did not respond to questions submitted by the press.

In response to the report, Presidential Office spokesperson Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said at a press conference in Taipei on Thursday that Taiwan's security agencies had full knowledge of the intelligence at the time. She also expressed gratitude to the Czech Republic for its strong support and the professional protection provided during Hsiao's visit.

Kuo added that Taiwan strongly condemns China's unlawful actions, which violate international norms and pose serious risks to the international community.