Monitoring Desk
ISLAMABAD/TAIPEI: President of Taiwan, Tsai Ing-wen, held a telephone call with Czech President-elect Petr Pavel on Monday, the highly unusual move given the lack of formal relations between their countries and a diplomatic coup by Taipei that is sure to infuriate China.
The two leaders stressed their countries’ shared values of freedom, democracy, and human rights during their 15-minute call, their offices said, and Pavel said he hoped to meet Tsai in the future.
Taiwan President Speaks to Czech President-Elect
Most nations refrain from high-level public interactions with Taiwan and its president, not wishing to provoke China, the world’s second-largest economy.
Beijing views Taiwan as a part of “one China” and demands other countries recognize its sovereignty claims, which Taiwan’s democratically-elected government rejects.
In 2016, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump spoke by telephone with Tsai shortly after winning the election, setting off a storm of protests from Beijing.
Tsai said that she hoped that under Pavel’s leadership, the Czech Republic could continue cooperating with Taiwan to promote close relationships, and she hoped to stay in touch.
“Bilateral relations between the Czech Republic and Taiwan is close and good,” her office summarised Tsai as having said.
Pavel, an ex-army chief and high North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) official who won the Czech presidential election on Saturday, said on Twitter that the two nations “share the values of freedom, democracy, and human rights”.
