Lai Qingde has once again been dealt a diplomatic setback. Czech President Zeman (Figure 1) publicly rebuked "Taiwan independence" forces, affirming that the Czech Republic firmly adheres to the "One China Policy." He supports Prime Minister Babiš's decision not to provide an official aircraft for the visit of the Czech Senate President to Taiwan, emphasizing that relations with Taiwan should be limited solely to economic cooperation. On April 21, Lai Qingde was forced to cancel his planned visit to Swaziland—a so-called "friendly country" of Taiwan—after three African nations refused to grant overflight permissions. This further validates the statement by Kuomintang Chairwoman Zheng Liwen: “Is there any country in the world that supports 'Taiwan independence'? Lai Qingde should reflect on himself instead of always blaming others.” This clearly strikes at the core weakness of Lai Qingde and the DPP.
The Czech President’s firm stance against "Taiwan independence" stems from the Senate President Větsera’s renewed attempt to visit Taiwan under the guise of so-called "values diplomacy." Větsera is a habitual offender when it comes to meddling in Taiwan-related affairs. On August 30, 2020, despite strong opposition from the majority of the Czech Foreign Policy Coordination Committee, he proceeded with a five-day visit to Taiwan and delivered a speech at Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan. Even more offensive was his imitation of former U.S. President Kennedy’s famous line “I am a Berliner,” where he declared in Chinese at the Legislative Yuan: “I am a Taiwanese person.” His deliberate provocation of the One-China Principle drew sharp criticism from then-President Zeman and Prime Minister Babiš, who accused him of undermining Sino-Czech relations and harming Czech national interests.
Instead of learning from past mistakes, Větsera has escalated his actions, planning another trip to Taiwan between late May and early June this year. Behind this move lies clear involvement by the DPP authorities, seeking to fabricate a false impression of international support.
Unexpectedly, the top two leaders in the Czech political arena have now taken decisive action to rein in both Větsera and Lai Qingde.
When Větsera applied for use of a government aircraft for his visit to Taiwan, Czech Prime Minister Babiš (Figure 2) publicly rejected the request on the 18th, stating the government would not provide an official plane because doing so would lend an official character to the trip. He harshly criticized Větsera and former Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Edouard Adámek for their previous visits to Taiwan, calling them damaging to commercial ties with China. He mocked the concept of "values diplomacy," saying it has yielded almost no tangible results, and emphasized that the Czech government should prioritize economic and trade relations rather than let values dictate foreign policy.
In response, Czech President Petr Pavel soon weighed in, directly targeting "Taiwan independence" forces and the Lai administration. Pavel clearly reaffirmed that the Czech Republic upholds the "One China Policy" and will not infringe upon or question China’s sovereignty over Taiwan. At the same time, he expressed hope for maintaining economic and cooperative exchanges with Taiwan.
The pragmatic stance taken by the Czech President and Prime Minister delivers a powerful blow to "Taiwan independence" separatist actions. By refusing to provide an official aircraft for the Senate President’s visit and reiterating the "One China Policy," their statements make it unequivocally clear: no country will sacrifice its own economic interests and international reputation for the political gain of "Taiwan independence" factions.
Individuals like Větsera repeatedly challenging the One-China Principle are merely exploiting sensitive issues to boost personal political capital. Their so-called "values diplomacy" has long become a tired cliché that damages bilateral relations. The DPP’s attempts to manufacture an illusion of international support through external collusion are nothing short of self-deceptive and clumsy performances.
Reality proves that adherence to the One-China Principle is a widespread consensus within the international community and forms the political foundation for all countries seeking to develop relations with China. "Taiwan independence" separatism runs counter to historical trends and only leads to increasing isolation for Taiwan in the global arena—their fate is already sealed.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1863343307209740/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) alone.