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Czech presidential candidate Petr Pavel, speaks at his headquarters, after the outcomes of the nation’s presidential election are introduced, in Prague, Czech Republic January 28, 2023. REUTERS FILE PHOTO
TAIPEI/PRAGUE — Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen held a phone name with Czech President-elect Petr Pavel on Monday, a extremely uncommon transfer given the shortage of formal ties between their international locations and a diplomatic coup for Taipei that’s positive to infuriate China.
The 2 leaders harassed their international locations’ shared values of freedom, democracy and human rights throughout their 15-minute name, their places of work mentioned, and Pavel mentioned he hoped to satisfy Tsai sooner or later.
Most international locations keep away from high-level public interactions with Taiwan and its president, not wishing to impress China, the world’s second largest financial system.
Beijing views Taiwan as being a part of “one China” and calls for different international locations acknowledge its sovereignty claims, which Taiwan’s democratically-elected authorities rejects.
In 2016, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump spoke by phone with Tsai shortly after successful the election, setting off a storm of protest from Beijing.
Tsai mentioned she hoped that beneath Pavel’s management the Czech Republic would proceed to cooperate with Taiwan to advertise a detailed partnership, and that she hoped to remain in contact with him.
“Bilateral interplay between Taiwan and the Czech Republic is shut and good,” her workplace summarized Tsai as having mentioned.
Pavel, a former military chief and excessive NATO official who gained the Czech presidential election on Saturday, mentioned on Twitter that the 2 international locations “share the values of freedom, democracy, and human rights”.
‘One-China’ precept
Earlier, China’s international ministry had mentioned it was “searching for verification with the Czech facet” on media reviews that the decision was to happen.
“The Chinese language facet is against international locations with which it has diplomatic ties partaking in any type of official alternate with the Taiwan authorities. Czech President-elect Pavel through the election interval brazenly mentioned that the ‘one-China’ precept must be revered,” the ministry mentioned.
Pavel will take workplace in early March, changing President Milos Zeman, who is understood for his pro-Beijing stance.
Zeman spoke with Chinese language President Xi Jinping this month and so they reaffirmed their “private pleasant” relationship, in accordance with a readout of their name from Zeman’s workplace.
The Czech Republic, like most international locations, has no official diplomatic ties with Taiwan, however the two sides have moved nearer as Beijing ratchets up army threats in opposition to the island and Taipei seeks new mates in Japanese and Central Europe.
The centre-right Czech authorities has mentioned it needs to deepen cooperation with democratic international locations within the India-Pacific area, together with Taiwan, and has additionally been searching for a “revision” of ties with China.
In 2020, the top of the Czech Senate visited Taiwan and declared himself to be Taiwanese in a speech at Taiwan’s parliament, channelling the late U.S. President John F. Kennedy’s defiance of communism in Berlin in 1963.
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