PRAGUE (Reuters) – President Milos Zeman on Sunday sought to shut down a dispute with China after a stopover in Taiwan through the president of the Czech Senate, calling the speaker’s speech a “child provocation.”
Senate President Milos Vystrcil made headlines last week when he told Taiwan’s parliament “I’m Taiwanese” in a speech that echoed the challenge of former U.S. President John F.Kennedy, communism in Berlin in 1963.
Vystrcil’s vacation did not count on that of the Czech government, which defines foreign policy, and provoked the wrath of China, which said the Czech spokesman would “pay a high price” for making a stopover on the democratic island he considers his own territory.
This Prague to summon the Chinese ambassador.
Zeman has sought an industry and politics closer to China since it took effect in 2013, but his efforts have been hampered by failed investment plans and divided politicians.
Zeman said Sunday in an interview with the prima television channel that it would be wiser to invite Vystrcil to meetings of the most sensible state foreign policy officials and said it could be harmful to businesses, but that China’s comments were exaggerated.
“It’s a childish provocation,” Zeman said of the journey.
Prime Minister Andrej Babis later said the same debate he would fight to avoid the consequences for Czech companies.
The Czech Republic, at most countries, has no formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Taiwan is a major investor in the country.
Many Czech corporations operate or export to China, the largest economy in the world at the moment. The Richest Czech Genuine Property Loans Petr Kellner is one of the largest customer lenders in China, while the country is also the largest single market for Skoda Auto, Volkswagen’s Czech auto unit.
(Report via Jason Hovet; edited through Raissa Kasolowsky)