Vystrčil praises fruitful Taiwan-Czech cooperation, criticizes government for refusing special plane to Taiwan to appease China
Czech Senate President Miloš Vystrčil announced his upcoming visit to Taiwan in late May, praising the significant achievements of Taiwan-Czech cooperation since 2020. He criticized the Czech government for refusing to provide a special plane for his visit, accusing them of "appeasing China," and stated he would take a commercial flight from Prague to Taipei instead.
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- 📰 Published: April 22, 2026 at 08:56
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Central News Agency
(Central News Agency reporter Liu Yu-ting, Prague, April 22) Czech Senate President Miloš Vystrčil will lead a delegation to Taiwan at the end of May. He pointed out that since his visit to Taiwan in 2020, Taiwan-Czech cooperation has yielded significant results, and he "looks forward to reuniting with Taiwanese friends." He criticized the Czech government for not allowing him to use a special plane for his visit to Taiwan, questioning if it was to "appease China," and will instead take a commercial flight from Prague directly to Taipei.
After nearly six years, Czech Senate President Miloš Vystrčil is expected to visit Taiwan again from May 31 to June 4. He will hold political talks and cultural events in Taiwan, including unveiling the "Havel's Bench."
Vystrčil told a Central News Agency reporter: "My sincere greetings to Taiwan. I am very much looking forward to meeting my Taiwanese friends. Perhaps you will be surprised that, in addition to our delegation, I will also bring a film documenting my past visit to Taiwan, titled 'I Am a Taiwanese.' I am very much looking forward to reuniting with everyone."
As the Czech government refused to provide a special plane for Vystrčil's visit to Taiwan, one of the reasons being concerns about commercial interests with China, Vystrčil will instead take a commercial flight directly from Prague to Taipei.
Vystrčil stated at a press conference held in the Senate on the 21st that since his visit to Taiwan in 2020, cooperation between the Czech Republic and Taiwan has continued to deepen, achieving significant results over the past six years. Cooperation between the two sides is not only reflected in stable direct flights between Prague and Taipei but, more importantly, in substantial progress in the technology sector, including data centers, artificial intelligence, and other advanced technology developments.
Vystrčil stated that Taiwanese companies continue to expand server and chip manufacturing in the Czech Republic and invest in new technology research and development, bringing investment, key technologies, and semiconductor industry cooperation opportunities to the Czech Republic. The Czech Republic is committed to establishing a partnership with Taiwan and using it as an important foundation for the European chip supply chain.
Vystrčil said: "This is extremely important for the Czech Republic. The products we import from Taiwan are used to develop new technologies and further export. This brings huge added value to the Czech Republic. These are not cheap trinkets, toys, or problematic products, or other low-added-value goods."
Vystrčil pointed out that due to the stable development of Taiwan-Czech relations, it is necessary to further strengthen cooperation through high-level mutual visits. Therefore, preparations are underway for another visit to Taiwan after six years, and he will lead a delegation of business, university, and research institution representatives to deepen economic, trade, academic, and cultural exchanges.
However, the Czech government did not provide the special plane needed for this visit to Taiwan. Vystrčil said: "To me, this is incomprehensible. This is not just a blow to me personally, but a betrayal of Czech entrepreneurs, university personnel, researchers, and cultural representatives. The government is essentially telling them: 'We don't care about you. If you want to do business in Taiwan, figure it out yourselves. We are not interested in your activities in Taiwan.'"
Vystrčil questioned that the reason for the government's action might be an attempt to "appease China more than ever" to improve relations with China. He pointed out that China's past promises of large-scale investments in the Czech Republic have largely not materialized, and there is a lack of substantive technological cooperation. He called on the government to carefully evaluate cooperation partners and long-term risks.
He said: "Looking back at 2014 or 2016, China promised to invest about 240 billion Czech crowns (about 364.9 billion New Taiwan dollars) in the Czech Republic, but the result was almost zero. Even if there were investments, they were merely acquisitions aimed at capital appreciation, not genuine R&D and innovation cooperation. Have you ever seen China promote joint research projects or share technology in the Czech Republic? The fact is quite the opposite."
Vystrčil directly stated: "Is this really the cooperation model we want? Do we really want to develop the Czech Republic in this way? Or should we be more strategic and cautious, vigilant in choosing cooperation partners, and consider the potential costs in the future? I have already said that without values, there can be no true pragmatic politics. National security, citizen privacy, and personal data protection cannot be ignored."
He called on the government to strengthen internal communication and coordination, avoid centralized decision-making and unilateral dominance, and build consensus on key issues such as defense, competitiveness, and autonomy.
Vystrčil emphasized that the freedom and democracy gained by the Czech Republic since 1989 are the country's most precious assets and should not be sacrificed due to short-sightedness or concentration of power. He called on all sectors to uphold values and maintain the country's development direction. (Editor: Wei Shu) 1150422
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(Central News Agency reporter Liu Yu-ting, Prague, April 22) Czech Senate President Miloš Vystrčil will lead a delegation to Taiwan at the end of May. He pointed out that since his visit to Taiwan in 2020, Taiwan-Czech cooperation has yielded significant results, and he "looks forward to reuniting with Taiwanese friends." He criticized the Czech government for not allowing him to use a special plane for his visit to Taiwan, questioning if it was to "appease China," and will instead take a commercial flight from Prague directly to Taipei.
After nearly six years, Czech Senate President Miloš Vystrčil is expected to visit Taiwan again from May 31 to June 4. He will hold political talks and cultural events in Taiwan, including unveiling the "Havel's Bench."
Vystrčil told a Central News Agency reporter: "My sincere greetings to Taiwan. I am very much looking forward to meeting my Taiwanese friends. Perhaps you will be surprised that, in addition to our delegation, I will also bring a film documenting my past visit to Taiwan, titled 'I Am a Taiwanese.' I am very much looking forward to reuniting with everyone."
As the Czech government refused to provide a special plane for Vystrčil's visit to Taiwan, one of the reasons being concerns about commercial interests with China, Vystrčil will instead take a commercial flight directly from Prague to Taipei.
Vystrčil stated at a press conference held in the Senate on the 21st that since his visit to Taiwan in 2020, cooperation between the Czech Republic and Taiwan has continued to deepen, achieving significant results over the past six years. Cooperation between the two sides is not only reflected in stable direct flights between Prague and Taipei but, more importantly, in substantial progress in the technology sector, including data centers, artificial intelligence, and other advanced technology developments.
Vystrčil stated that Taiwanese companies continue to expand server and chip manufacturing in the Czech Republic and invest in new technology research and development, bringing investment, key technologies, and semiconductor industry cooperation opportunities to the Czech Republic. The Czech Republic is committed to establishing a partnership with Taiwan and using it as an important foundation for the European chip supply chain.
Vystrčil said: "This is extremely important for the Czech Republic. The products we import from Taiwan are used to develop new technologies and further export. This brings huge added value to the Czech Republic. These are not cheap trinkets, toys, or problematic products, or other low-added-value goods."
Vystrčil pointed out that due to the stable development of Taiwan-Czech relations, it is necessary to further strengthen cooperation through high-level mutual visits. Therefore, preparations are underway for another visit to Taiwan after six years, and he will lead a delegation of business, university, and research institution representatives to deepen economic, trade, academic, and cultural exchanges.
However, the Czech government did not provide the special plane needed for this visit to Taiwan. Vystrčil said: "To me, this is incomprehensible. This is not just a blow to me personally, but a betrayal of Czech entrepreneurs, university personnel, researchers, and cultural representatives. The government is essentially telling them: 'We don't care about you. If you want to do business in Taiwan, figure it out yourselves. We are not interested in your activities in Taiwan.'"
Vystrčil questioned that the reason for the government's action might be an attempt to "appease China more than ever" to improve relations with China. He pointed out that China's past promises of large-scale investments in the Czech Republic have largely not materialized, and there is a lack of substantive technological cooperation. He called on the government to carefully evaluate cooperation partners and long-term risks.
He said: "Looking back at 2014 or 2016, China promised to invest about 240 billion Czech crowns (about 364.9 billion New Taiwan dollars) in the Czech Republic, but the result was almost zero. Even if there were investments, they were merely acquisitions aimed at capital appreciation, not genuine R&D and innovation cooperation. Have you ever seen China promote joint research projects or share technology in the Czech Republic? The fact is quite the opposite."
Vystrčil directly stated: "Is this really the cooperation model we want? Do we really want to develop the Czech Republic in this way? Or should we be more strategic and cautious, vigilant in choosing cooperation partners, and consider the potential costs in the future? I have already said that without values, there can be no true pragmatic politics. National security, citizen privacy, and personal data protection cannot be ignored."
He called on the government to strengthen internal communication and coordination, avoid centralized decision-making and unilateral dominance, and build consensus on key issues such as defense, competitiveness, and autonomy.
Vystrčil emphasized that the freedom and democracy gained by the Czech Republic since 1989 are the country's most precious assets and should not be sacrificed due to short-sightedness or concentration of power. He called on all sectors to uphold values and maintain the country's development direction. (Editor: Wei Shu) 1150422
Choose to stand with facts, every sponsorship you make is a force to protect press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency's "First-hand News" APP to stay updated with the latest news.
The text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, publicly transmitted, or utilized without authorization.