PRAGUE (Reuters) – Czech President Petr Pavel greeted former Taiwan president Tsai Ing-wen on her arrival at a conference in Prague on Monday, a sensitive trip for a senior politician that Beijing has repeatedly denounced as “separatist”.
The Czech Republic, like most countries, has no official diplomatic ties with Chinese-claimed Taiwan, but the two sides have moved closer as Beijing ratchets up military threats against the island and Taipei seeks new friends in Eastern and Central Europe.
China’s military launched a new round of war games near Taiwan on Monday, drawing condemnation from the Taipei and U.S. governments.
Pavel and Tsai shook hands and spoke briefly at the opening of the Forum 2000 conference, and Tsai later sat through an opening speech by Pavel and a panel he was part of.
Nevertheless, Pavel did not plan a meeting with Tsai, his office said. She was due to meet the heads of both chambers of the Czech parliament later on Monday.
The annual Forum 2000 conferences, started by former Czech President Vaclav Havel, gather leaders and thinkers from around the world to discuss democracy, human rights and civil society.
Pavel held a phone call with Tsai when she was still in office and he was president-elect in January last year, drawing China’s anger.
The Chinese embassy in Prague did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tsai’s visit. Chinese media have quoted a foreign ministry spokesperson as saying China firmly opposed the visit.
In remarks to the conference on Monday, Pavel called on China to use its influence to help end the war in Ukraine, to respect human rights and also show restraint in the Taiwan Strait, without making a direct reference to war games China started around the island.
(Reporting by Jan Lopatka, Editing by William Maclean)
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