On March 18, 2025, Mr. Ke Liang-ruey, Head of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Prague, was the main guest at EVC’s regular event, The Indo-Pacific Tea. The event began with Mr. Ke briefly introducing the history of modern Taiwan, including its role in the founding of the United Nations, its expulsion due to UN Resolution 2758, and the consequences for the Taiwanese people. He then drew parallels between Taiwan and Czechia in terms of historical and political developments, particularly since the late 1980s.
This served as a transition to his second topic – analyzing Czech-Taiwan bilateral ties. He highlighted shared values, common goals (e.g., economic prosperity, industrial and technological development, etc.), and people-to-people exchanges at multiple levels, ranging from politics (notably the visits of President of the Senate Miloš Vystrčil and Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Markéta Pekarová Adamová to Taiwan) to academia, tourism, and culture (mentioning the upcoming exhibition at the Czech National Museum featuring items provided by the National Palace Museum in Taipei).
In the subsequent discussion, Mr. Ke answered multiple questions from the audience. The attendees were particularly curious about the greatest challenges of his diplomatic career, his assessment of Czech people’s knowledge about Taiwan, and Taiwanese investments in Czechia, especially regarding the semiconductor industry. One of the final questions addressed the highlights of the flourishing Czech-Taiwan relations. In response, he cited the direct flight between Prague and Taipei as one of the key achievements, emphasizing its significance for business, tourism, and broader people-to-people exchanges.
