Media: Czech Government Refuses to Provide Aircraft for Senate Speaker's Visit to Taiwan
According to Czech media reports, the Czech government rejected a request by the country's Senate Speaker, Miloš Vystrčil, to use a Ministry of Defense aircraft during his visit to Taiwan in May and June, accompanied by a business delegation.
During an anniversary event for the online television channel XTV, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš revealed to journalists that Senate Speaker Vystrčil had submitted an application to use a defense ministry aircraft for the trip to Taiwan. Babiš stated that the decision on whether to provide the aircraft has always rested with the government.
Babiš said: "We decided not to approve the use of the aircraft for this visit, as doing so would give the trip a governmental character, which we do not need. The country's foreign policy is formulated by the government, and our foreign policy differs from that of the Senate." At the same time, he added that the speaker could choose to travel to Taiwan via regular commercial flights.
Senate Speaker Vystrčil plans to visit Taiwan with a business delegation at the end of May through early June. Several years ago, Vystrčil had previously led a business delegation to Taiwan, an action that provoked strong protests from officials in Beijing.
The Czech government adheres to the One-China principle.
Source: sputniknews
Original: toutiao.com/article/1862921681554632/
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