#Newspaper

Czech prime minister says China's ambassador should be replaced

//China should replace its ambassador in the Czech Republic after the Chinese embassy sent a threatening letter to Czech authorities, Prime Minister Andrej Babis said, a position that may further strain relations between the two countries.

//In January, China's embassy in Prague said in a letter sent to the Czech president's office that Beijing would retaliate against Czech companies operating in China if a senior Czech lawmaker,Senate speaker Jaroslav Kubera, went ahead with a planned visit to Taiwan.

//The Jan 10 letter suggested that Czech companies operating in mainland China would suffer if then- Senate speaker Jaroslav Kubera visited the island.Mr Kubera died before he could make the trip.

//Diplomatic ties between the two countries cooled last year when city authorities in Prague showed support for Tibet and demanded changes to an intercity partnership agreement with Beijing over a reference to China's policy on Taiwan.

//China quit the agreement and Prague instead entered a partnership with Taipei, the capital of Taiwan.

//China considers Taiwan part of its territory and has pushed for a "one country, two systems" model, which Taiwan rejects. Mr Babis's government has repeatedly said it adheres to the one-China policy.

//An earlier dent in bilateral relations came in December 2018 when the Czech cyber-security watchdog warned about the risks of using network technology provided by Chinese telecoms equipment makers Huawei and ZTE.

Full article: The Straitstimes, (10-Mar)

Further reading:
Prague, Taipei ink sister deal in snub to Beijing
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/15762

#Czech #bilateralrelations #Taiwan #China #OneChina #ThreateningLetter