PRAGUE (AP) — Taiwan needs support from European countries to help maintain peace in the self-governed island and in the Indo-Pacific region, its foreign minister said Wednesday.
Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said China has ambitions to expand its power in the region and may not limit them to Taiwan.
“I think we need to unite with each other to curb this Chinese ambition, to ensure peace and stability over the Taiwan Strait,” Wu told reporters in the Czech capital of Prague.
Wu declined to say what other European countries he is planning to visit on his trip.
Ahead of Wu’s trip, China’s Foreign Ministry urged European countries to refrain from supporting Taiwanese separatist activities. Beijing claims Taiwan is part of its territory, to be united by force if necessary.
The Czech Republic, like most countries, has no formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan and recognizes the “one China” principle, but maintains robust informal contacts. Taiwan’s high-tech companies are also significant investors in the Czech Republic.
Wu gave a speech at a conference on China organized by a Czech think tank immediately after it was opened by Czech President Petr Pavel. Pavel left right after his remarks without meeting Wu.
Taiwan Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jeff Liu said it was the "first time that a Taiwanese official has shared the stage with a head of state of a European country that has no diplomatic relations with Taiwan.“
Pavel angered China in January by having a phone conversation with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen.
“I believe the world should stay fully in support of preserving the democratic arrangement in Taiwan,” Pavel said in his speech Wednesday.
On Tuesday, Wu met with Czech Senate Speaker Milos Vystrcil, who angered China by visiting in 2020.
Earlier this year, Marketa Pekarova Adamova, the speaker of the Czech Parliament’s lower house, visited Taiwan to boost ties, further angering China.
