Slovak President Backs Czech Republic, Calls China’s Threat “Unacceptable”
The Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi has sparked outrage across Europe as he threatened the Czech senate president Miloš Vystrčil for his visit to Taiwan. Echoing the German foreign minister and the EU’s foreign ministry, the Slovak president Zuzana Čaputová said she could not accept China’s threat. This is the first time a European head of state has criticized China for Vystrčil’s visit to Taiwan.
In a Twitter post, Čaputová wrote, “Slovakia stands by the Czech Republic. EU-China relations are based on dialogue and mutual respect. Threats directed at one of the EU members and its representatives contradict the very essence of our partnership and as such are unacceptable.”
47-year-old Čaputová became Slovakia’s first female president in June 2019. Slovakia is a member of the European Union and has close ties with the Czech Republic. The two were formerly a single country, splitting peacefully into two independent states in 1993.
In an interview in Germany on 31 August, Wang said “Vystrčil must be made to pay a heavy price for his short-sightedness and political opportunism” in response to the Czech statesman’s visit to Taiwan. Norbert Rottgen, chairman of the foreign affairs committee of the German parliament, protested against the threat and called on the EU to be united in protecting the Czech Republic from China’s reprisals. Peter Stano, the European Commission’s foreign affairs spokesman, also expressed displeasure at Wang’s language, though adding that the matter would have to be discussed bilaterally between the Czech Republic and China.
Source: Apple Daily #Sep02
#Slovakia #Czech #EU #Taiwan #China #Caputova #Vystrcil #WangYi
https://bit.ly/3mzTqzE
The Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi has sparked outrage across Europe as he threatened the Czech senate president Miloš Vystrčil for his visit to Taiwan. Echoing the German foreign minister and the EU’s foreign ministry, the Slovak president Zuzana Čaputová said she could not accept China’s threat. This is the first time a European head of state has criticized China for Vystrčil’s visit to Taiwan.
In a Twitter post, Čaputová wrote, “Slovakia stands by the Czech Republic. EU-China relations are based on dialogue and mutual respect. Threats directed at one of the EU members and its representatives contradict the very essence of our partnership and as such are unacceptable.”
47-year-old Čaputová became Slovakia’s first female president in June 2019. Slovakia is a member of the European Union and has close ties with the Czech Republic. The two were formerly a single country, splitting peacefully into two independent states in 1993.
In an interview in Germany on 31 August, Wang said “Vystrčil must be made to pay a heavy price for his short-sightedness and political opportunism” in response to the Czech statesman’s visit to Taiwan. Norbert Rottgen, chairman of the foreign affairs committee of the German parliament, protested against the threat and called on the EU to be united in protecting the Czech Republic from China’s reprisals. Peter Stano, the European Commission’s foreign affairs spokesman, also expressed displeasure at Wang’s language, though adding that the matter would have to be discussed bilaterally between the Czech Republic and China.
Source: Apple Daily #Sep02
#Slovakia #Czech #EU #Taiwan #China #Caputova #Vystrcil #WangYi
https://bit.ly/3mzTqzE