Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated on Thursday (October 21) that Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Wu Zhaoxie will visit Slovakia next week for a rare European trip, which will also include a visit to the neighboring Czech Republic and a virtual presentation at a forum in Rome. speech.
Taiwan is claimed by China as its territory. It does not maintain formal diplomatic relations with any European country except Vatican City, but it has always been keen to promote relations with other like-minded democracies in the EU.
The Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, and Lithuania have all donated COVID-19 vaccines to Taiwan, and Lithuania and Taiwan will open de facto embassies in each other’s capital before the end of the year, which makes Beijing angry.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Joanne Ou told reporters that Wu Bangguo will first attend a forum organized by a local think tank in Slovakia on Tuesday, and then go to Prague to meet with the Speaker of the Upper House of the Czech Parliament Milos Westsil and Prague Mayor Zdenek. Hrib.
Vystrcil and Hrib visited Taiwan last year and angered China. Wu’s trip to the Czech Republic has been confirmed before, but his trip to Slovakia has not been confirmed.
Ou added that Wu also “find a way” to give a virtual speech on the China Summit of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Rome next Friday. The head of the Tibetan government in exile, Bian Ba Tsering, and other people who disagree with it participated in the event. Beijing.
“We will more actively seek support from the international community and look forward to strengthening the relationship between Taiwan and the democratic countries in Central and Eastern Europe,” Ou said.
Due to pressure from China, many countries are reluctant to receive senior Taiwanese ministers, even though Wu visited Denmark in 2019 to speak at the Copenhagen Democracy Summit.
China has increased its military and diplomatic pressure on Taiwan, forcing it to accept Chinese sovereignty.
Democratically ruled Taiwan says that it is an independent country and will defend its freedom.
