BEIJING (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th September, 2022) The visit of a Czech delegation to Taiwan seriously violates China's state sovereignty and territorial integrity, the Chinese embassy in the Czech Republic said on Saturday.
On Saturday, the Taiwanese foreign ministry said that a 14-member Czech delegation led by Senator and former president of the Czech academy of Sciences Jiri Drahos will arrive in Taiwan on Sunday with a six-day visit.
"This move is blatant support for the separatist forces advocating 'Taiwan independence,' a serious violation of China's national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and a serious violation of basic norms of international relations and bilateral political commitments," the embassy said in a statement.
The embassy added that the visit of the Czech delegation to Taiwan undermines the political basis of bilateral relations between China and the Czech Republic.
On Thursday, Drahos told Taiwan's Central news Agency that European countries intend to deepen ties with Taiwan in culture, science, and other areas of soft power. On Friday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning urged the Czech side to respect the One China principle.
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.
Taiwan has been governed independently from mainland China since 1949. Beijing views the island as its province, while Taiwan � a territory with its own elected government � maintains that it is an autonomous country but stops short of declaring independence. Beijing opposes any official contacts of foreign states with Taipei and considers Chinese sovereignty over the island indisputable.
