Czech-Taiwan Ties: A Friendship Dating Back Decades
As anti-China sentiment spreads across the EU, does this present an opportunity for Taiwan to position itself as a reliable, democratic partner? Yet when it comes to the ex-Soviet state of the Czech Republic, interest in Taiwan goes back decades. In this episode, we also address some big issues in the war in Ukraine, including the allegation of Iranian-made drones used to attack civilians and critical infrastructure, the extent of China’s support of Russia, and the implications of Putin’s declaration of martial law in four Ukraine regions partially-occupied by Russia. Our panelists Marc Cheng, European Union Centre in Taiwan Executive Director, and Marcin Jerzewski head of the Taiwan Office of European Values Center for Security Policy, which is headquartered in Prague, help analyze the historical reasons behind the Czech Republic’s early supply of tanks to Ukraine, and its support for Taiwan. We also speak to Czech Republic Senator Pavel Fischer, Foreign Affairs, Defence and Security Committee Chair and previously Chief of Political Affairs for first Czechia president Václav Havel, formerly Ambassador to France and Monaco. And Denisa Hilbertová, Masaryk University Asia Studies Centre Lecturer and Graduate of Asia-Pacific Studies at National Chengchi University. Topics discussed: - 1938 Munich Agreement, when Czechoslovakia was forced to give up territory to Nazi Germany - 1968 Prague Spring and Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia - 2020 Czech Senate visit to Taiwan, in which Senate President Milos Vystrcil delivered a speech to Taiwan’s legislature channelling John F Kennedy’s ‘Ich Bin Ein Berliner’ speech - China’s blackmail of the Czech Republic ahead of Taiwan trip - How China’s behavior brought all of Czechia society together - Is Xi Jinping pulling together East and West just as Vladimir Putin has pulled together the EU and NATO? - Was the MOU between Taiwan’s National Defense Industry Development Association and the Czech-Taiwan Chamber of Commerce related to weapons purchase? - How 1940s anti-R.O.C. propaganda backfired making Czech dissidents look to Taiwan as it underwent economic reform and democratized - Visits by Václav Havel, the Czech Republic’s first president, to Taiwan in 1990s
