Taipei, 27 March 2023 (GNP): On Monday, one day after Honduras shifted its diplomatic ties to China, Taiwan’s Economic Minister Wang Mei-hua welcomed a sizable Czech delegation to the island and declared that Taiwan is a member of a democratic alliance and can cooperate with many friendly nations.
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After speaking at a Taiwan-Czech business meeting, Wang explained to reporters that the date of the Honduras announcement and the presence of the Czech delegation were two distinct things
“This visit of the delegation to Taiwan certainly represents that Taiwan is in a democratic alliance”, she remarked.
“Diplomatically, we in fact can have relevant cooperation with lots of countries who are friendly to us, especially on trade and the economy, culture and so on – these are good areas. We will strengthen substantive relations with a great many democratic countries”, she continued.
After a call from Taiwanese President Tsai in January, newly elected Czech president Petr Pavel got stern criticism from Beijing, marking a stark change from his predecessor’s efforts to bait Chinese companies.
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In a subtle response to Chinese condemnation of her visit, Tsai remarked to Pekarova Adamova that she had come to Taiwan against “great pressure.”
She stated that “Taiwan and the Czech Republic have both been through authoritarian rule and deeply understand that democracy has not come easily, so we can become firm partners with each other on the road of upholding democracy and freedom”.
Pekarova Adamova assured Tsai that Taiwan and the Czech Republic are reliable allies.
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“Taiwan is not only an important economic partner but also a friendly and democratic partner and deserves our attention and support”, said Adamova.
“We believe in the same values and principles, among them the most important are freedom, democracy, and protection of human rights. Nobody can threaten us from adhering to these rights,” she added.
