Taiwan, Czech Republic to Boost Cooperation on Semiconductors - Taiwan Administration Head

BEIJING (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd September, 2022) Taiwan will strengthen its cooperation with the Czech Republic in different areas, including semiconductor technologies, head of the Taiwanese administration Tsai Ing-wen said on Thursday.

On Sunday, the Czech delegation led by senator and former president of the Czech academy of Sciences Jiri Drahos came to Taiwan on a six-day trip. On Thursday, Drahos met with Tsai to discuss the bilateral cooperation.

"Our visit symbolizes another big step toward the Taiwanese-Czech cooperation. We will deepen exchanges and sigh memorandums in such areas as semiconductor technologies, education, medicine and museums," Tsai said, adding that cooperation between Taipei and Prague had enhanced for last two years, with Taiwanese experts going to the Czech Republic in March to explore production capacity for semiconductors.

Drahos, on his part, noted that Taiwan was a "key democratic partner" in the Indo-Pacific region, as the island and his country shared the same experience of having a "non-democratic and hostile neighbor," which made them both appreciate democratic values.

Last week, the Chinese embassy in the Czech Republic said that the visit of a Czech delegation to Taiwan would seriously violated China's state sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The situation around Taiwan escalated after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the island in early August. China condemned Pelosi's trip, which it regarded as a gesture of support for separatism, and launched large-scale military exercises in the vicinity of the island. Despite this fact, several countries, including France, Lithuania, the United States, and Japan, have sent their delegations to the island since then, further increasing tensions in the Taiwan Strait.