Czech PM's Refusal to Provide Special Plane for Senate Speaker's Taiwan Visit Sparks Controversy; Czech Media: Taiwan's Investment Contribution Significant
The Czech Prime Minister's refusal to provide a special plane for the Senate Speaker's visit to Taiwan, citing concerns about commercial interests with China, has sparked controversy. However, data from CzechInvest shows Taiwan has created approximately 25,000 jobs in the Czech Republic, significantly more than China's less than 6,000. Several Czech media outlets highlight Taiwan's substantial positive contribution to the Czech economy through investment and employment.
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- 📰 Published: April 21, 2026 at 18:45
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(Central News Agency reporter Liu Yu-ting, Prague, 21st) Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš's refusal to provide a special plane for Senate Speaker Miloš Vystrčil's visit to Taiwan, citing potential impacts on commercial interests with China, has sparked heated debate. According to data from CzechInvest, Taiwan has created nearly 25,000 jobs in the Czech Republic, higher than China's contribution of less than 6,000 jobs. Several Czech media outlets point out that "Taiwan's investment and employment have brought significant positive impacts."
Czech Senate Speaker Miloš Vystrčil is scheduled to visit Taiwan in early June. However, the Czech government refused to provide a special plane for Vystrčil's visit, asking him to take a commercial flight instead. The reason given was that they did not want the trip to be seen as official endorsement, thereby harming the Czech Republic's commercial interests in China.
Prime Minister Babiš said: "We will pursue a pragmatic foreign policy. I will visit Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan to win business opportunities for our companies, not a values-based diplomacy that brings almost no results and instead harms businesses."
This move has triggered a fierce debate in the Czech political arena, and Czech media have also paid close attention, comparing Taiwan's and China's investment status in the Czech Republic.
According to CzechInvest data, Taiwan currently has 40 investment projects in the Czech Republic, creating 24,701 jobs, making it one of the top 5 sources of employment contribution. China has 35 investment projects in the Czech Republic, creating 5,694 jobs.
Czech media Seznam Zprávy pointed out that "data shows that Taiwan has not harmed Czech business, but instead brought significant positive impacts in terms of investment and employment; while China remains an important but import-oriented trading partner."
According to reports, Radek Špicar, Vice President of the Czech Confederation of Industry and Transport, stated that both the Taiwanese and Chinese markets are very important for the Czech Republic. "Czech companies have strong interests in both markets, and some companies export to both at the same time."
Špicar pointed out that the Czech Republic should adopt a coordinated strategy towards China and Taiwan to promote the development potential of both markets, referring to Germany's experience.
Seznam Zprávy reported that economic relations between the Czech Republic and Taiwan can be traced back to the 1990s. In 1995, Prague welcomed its first Taiwanese business delegation. Subsequently, in the late 1990s, Taiwanese companies began large-scale investments in the Czech Republic, mainly in the IT industry, such as Foxconn and Asus.
Relations between Taiwan and the Czech Republic significantly warmed in 2020 when Vystrčil became the first Speaker of an EU country's Senate to visit Taiwan. Since then, cooperation has rapidly deepened, with the number of bilateral political visits significantly increasing, reaching 71 by 2024.
This trend is not unique to the Czech Republic. Since 2020, cooperation between Europe as a whole and Taiwan has clearly strengthened, due to factors including supply chain disruptions during the pandemic, geopolitical tensions, and Europe's desire to reduce its dependence on China.
The report states that in 2024, the Czech Republic ranked 7th among EU member states in trade volume with Taiwan, and 33rd globally. The Czech Republic primarily imports electronic components from Taiwan, which are then assembled and re-exported.
In 2024, Czech imports from Taiwan reached 1.76 billion Euros (approximately 65.1 billion New Taiwan Dollars), including ICT components, smartphones, motorcycles, bicycle parts, and printed circuit boards. In the same year, Czech exports to Taiwan reached 398 million Euros (approximately 14.7 billion New Taiwan Dollars).
From January 2025 to February 2026, Czech exports to Taiwan were approximately 10.6 billion Czech Korunas (approximately 16.1 billion New Taiwan Dollars), while imports were approximately 46.9 billion Czech Korunas (approximately 71.4 billion New Taiwan Dollars).
Czech exports are mainly automotive (Škoda Auto), with other industries including optics, machinery, and electronics, including Moser crystal, Botanicus skincare products, TOS Varnsdorf machine tool factory, and imported design lighting companies Lasvit and Preciosa.
According to the Czech News Agency (ČTK), automotive expert Petr Knap stated: "Škoda's exports to Taiwan account for less than 1% of its total production, but it is still the largest Czech exporter to Taiwan. Currently, Taiwan is still a relatively small and structurally simpler trading partner, but it has potential, and there are also geopolitical risks."
Recent Taiwanese companies investing in the Czech Republic include Jmem Tek, which focuses on cybersecurity chip protection; and CTi Cable, which invested approximately 120 million Czech Korunas to establish a production center near Prague.
On the other hand, data shows that trade between the Czech Republic and China has long been in a significant deficit, reaching 846.38 billion Czech Korunas in 2024; Czech exports to China amounted to 75.85 billion Czech Korunas, while imports from China reached 922.23 billion Czech Korunas. China is the Czech Republic's second-largest import trading partner, but China ranks only 17th in the Czech export market.
Czech Republic primarily imports electronics, clothing, and automobiles from China. At the same time, Chinese car brands, such as BYD, Chery, and XPENG, are gradually entering the Czech market. Czech companies in China are mainly concentrated in Shanghai and the southern regions. Škoda was once an important enterprise but plans to withdraw from the Chinese market by mid-year due to changes in the market environment. (Edited by Chang Chih-hsuan) 1150421
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(Central News Agency reporter Liu Yu-ting, Prague, 21st) Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš's refusal to provide a special plane for Senate Speaker Miloš Vystrčil's visit to Taiwan, citing potential impacts on commercial interests with China, has sparked heated debate. According to data from CzechInvest, Taiwan has created nearly 25,000 jobs in the Czech Republic, higher than China's contribution of less than 6,000 jobs. Several Czech media outlets point out that "Taiwan's investment and employment have brought significant positive impacts."
Czech Senate Speaker Miloš Vystrčil is scheduled to visit Taiwan in early June. However, the Czech government refused to provide a special plane for Vystrčil's visit, asking him to take a commercial flight instead. The reason given was that they did not want the trip to be seen as official endorsement, thereby harming the Czech Republic's commercial interests in China.
Prime Minister Babiš said: "We will pursue a pragmatic foreign policy. I will visit Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan to win business opportunities for our companies, not a values-based diplomacy that brings almost no results and instead harms businesses."
This move has triggered a fierce debate in the Czech political arena, and Czech media have also paid close attention, comparing Taiwan's and China's investment status in the Czech Republic.
According to CzechInvest data, Taiwan currently has 40 investment projects in the Czech Republic, creating 24,701 jobs, making it one of the top 5 sources of employment contribution. China has 35 investment projects in the Czech Republic, creating 5,694 jobs.
Czech media Seznam Zprávy pointed out that "data shows that Taiwan has not harmed Czech business, but instead brought significant positive impacts in terms of investment and employment; while China remains an important but import-oriented trading partner."
According to reports, Radek Špicar, Vice President of the Czech Confederation of Industry and Transport, stated that both the Taiwanese and Chinese markets are very important for the Czech Republic. "Czech companies have strong interests in both markets, and some companies export to both at the same time."
Špicar pointed out that the Czech Republic should adopt a coordinated strategy towards China and Taiwan to promote the development potential of both markets, referring to Germany's experience.
Seznam Zprávy reported that economic relations between the Czech Republic and Taiwan can be traced back to the 1990s. In 1995, Prague welcomed its first Taiwanese business delegation. Subsequently, in the late 1990s, Taiwanese companies began large-scale investments in the Czech Republic, mainly in the IT industry, such as Foxconn and Asus.
Relations between Taiwan and the Czech Republic significantly warmed in 2020 when Vystrčil became the first Speaker of an EU country's Senate to visit Taiwan. Since then, cooperation has rapidly deepened, with the number of bilateral political visits significantly increasing, reaching 71 by 2024.
This trend is not unique to the Czech Republic. Since 2020, cooperation between Europe as a whole and Taiwan has clearly strengthened, due to factors including supply chain disruptions during the pandemic, geopolitical tensions, and Europe's desire to reduce its dependence on China.
The report states that in 2024, the Czech Republic ranked 7th among EU member states in trade volume with Taiwan, and 33rd globally. The Czech Republic primarily imports electronic components from Taiwan, which are then assembled and re-exported.
In 2024, Czech imports from Taiwan reached 1.76 billion Euros (approximately 65.1 billion New Taiwan Dollars), including ICT components, smartphones, motorcycles, bicycle parts, and printed circuit boards. In the same year, Czech exports to Taiwan reached 398 million Euros (approximately 14.7 billion New Taiwan Dollars).
From January 2025 to February 2026, Czech exports to Taiwan were approximately 10.6 billion Czech Korunas (approximately 16.1 billion New Taiwan Dollars), while imports were approximately 46.9 billion Czech Korunas (approximately 71.4 billion New Taiwan Dollars).
Czech exports are mainly automotive (Škoda Auto), with other industries including optics, machinery, and electronics, including Moser crystal, Botanicus skincare products, TOS Varnsdorf machine tool factory, and imported design lighting companies Lasvit and Preciosa.
According to the Czech News Agency (ČTK), automotive expert Petr Knap stated: "Škoda's exports to Taiwan account for less than 1% of its total production, but it is still the largest Czech exporter to Taiwan. Currently, Taiwan is still a relatively small and structurally simpler trading partner, but it has potential, and there are also geopolitical risks."
Recent Taiwanese companies investing in the Czech Republic include Jmem Tek, which focuses on cybersecurity chip protection; and CTi Cable, which invested approximately 120 million Czech Korunas to establish a production center near Prague.
On the other hand, data shows that trade between the Czech Republic and China has long been in a significant deficit, reaching 846.38 billion Czech Korunas in 2024; Czech exports to China amounted to 75.85 billion Czech Korunas, while imports from China reached 922.23 billion Czech Korunas. China is the Czech Republic's second-largest import trading partner, but China ranks only 17th in the Czech export market.
Czech Republic primarily imports electronics, clothing, and automobiles from China. At the same time, Chinese car brands, such as BYD, Chery, and XPENG, are gradually entering the Czech market. Czech companies in China are mainly concentrated in Shanghai and the southern regions. Škoda was once an important enterprise but plans to withdraw from the Chinese market by mid-year due to changes in the market environment. (Edited by Chang Chih-hsuan) 1150421
Choose to stand with facts, every sponsorship you make is a force to protect press freedom.
Download the "First-hand News" APP from Central News Agency to stay updated with the latest news.
The text, images, and audio-visual content on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and used without authorization.