Czech parliament chief assures Taiwan of her support after outcry in China

Czech lower house of parliament speaker Marketa Pekarova Adamova on Wednesday assured Taiwan of her country's support for partner states who respect human rights and liberal democracy, ahead of a visit to Taipei planned for March.

Czech lower house of parliament speaker Marketa Pekarova Adamova on Wednesday assured Taiwan of her country's support for partner states who respect human rights and liberal democracy, ahead of a visit to Taipei planned for March. The Czechs have been intensifying relations with the island - which China unilaterally claims as its own - and President-elect Petr Pavel spoke with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-Wen on Monday, drawing a sharp rebuke from China.

Pekarova in turn spoke on Wednesday with Taiwan's Foreign Minister Joseph Wu. "I assured the minister that systematic support of partners who respect human rights and the principles of liberal democracy belongs among priorities of our parliamentary diplomacy," she said in a statement issued through her spokesman.

Pekarova plans to travel to Taiwan with a delegation of businessmen and representatives of educational and scientific institutions. The pro-Taiwan stance by Pavel marks a turnaround from President Milos Zeman, who retires in March and who favoured building closer relations with Beijing.

The Czech Republic does not have diplomatic relations with the island, whose democratically-elected government strongly disputes China's territorial claims over it, but the legislature and the centre-right government have been strengthening economic and cultural ties. Most countries avoid high-level public interactions with Taiwan and its president, not wishing to provoke China, the world's second largest economy.

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