Vystrčil says China cannot decide Czech-Taiwanese ties; invites Han

Taipei, June 1 (CNA) Visiting Czech Senate President Miloš Vystrčil said Monday that China cannot tell the Czech Republic whom to befriend and indicated he has officially invited Taiwan's Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) to visit his country.

Speaking alongside Han at a press event held at the Legislative Yuan, Vystrčil, who arrived in Taiwan on Monday morning, told reporters that both Taiwan and the Czech Republic are "free and democratic countries and do not take orders from other countries."

"We will decide who to befriend and who not to befriend," he said through an interpreter.

Vystrčil was responding to a statement issued late Sunday by China's embassy in Prague, which accused him of "interfering in China's internal affairs," as Beijing claims Taiwan as part of its territory.

The statement said China has "consistently and firmly opposed countries that have diplomatic relations with China having any form of official exchanges with Taiwan."

"The Chinese side urges the Czech side to strictly abide by the one-China principle and immediately take effective measures to eliminate the adverse consequences of this wrongdoing," the embassy said on its website.

In response, Vystrčil said in Taipei that the Czech Republic follows its own one-China policy rather than China's one-China principle.

There is nothing wrong with exchanges between the Czech Senate and Taiwan's Legislative Yuan, as parliamentary diplomacy is an important part of the Czech Republic's foreign policy, he said.

Addressing criticism of the trip from within his own government, Vystrčil defended the decision, saying that cooperation between the Czech Republic and Taiwan is mutually beneficial and serves the interests of both sides.

Before the trip, he asked fellow senators whether they supported strengthening ties with Taiwan, and more than 80 percent said they did, according to Vystrčil.

He also said he had extended an official invitation to Han to visit the Czech Republic.

The last time a Taiwanese legislative speaker visited the Czech Republic was in July 2022, when then-Legislative Yuan Speaker You Si-kun (游錫堃) made the trip.

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, who was elected late last year, recently said he would not provide a government aircraft for the trip because he did not want it to be seen as an official endorsement that could harm Czech business interests in China.

Han told reporters on Monday that the Czech Republic has long supported the Republic of China, Taiwan's official name, on the international stage despite the absence of official diplomatic ties.

More direct flights between Taipei and Prague will begin in August, demonstrating the increasingly close economic, cultural, educational and tourism exchanges between the two sides, Han said.