At the end of March, a historic Czech delegation led by the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Markéta Pekarová Adamová, comprising 160 politicians, businessmen, and stakeholders, visited Taiwan. This delegation was the largest foreign delegation Taiwan had ever received in its modern history. It was the first time that high-level leaders of the Czech security representatives had visited Taiwan, including leaders of the cybersecurity officials, counterintelligence services, representatives of the Centre against Hybrid Threats under the Ministry of Interior, deputy head of the military office of the President of the Czech Republic, and Director Generals of the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“The Czech Republic is becoming the strongest partner for Taiwan in Europe. The bilateral relations are growing at the highest political levels, such as presidents talking to each other, and across many areas from industry and civilian universities, think tanks, and an increasing number of businesses. The importance of this collaboration illustrates the fact that this delegation is the biggest delegation to Taiwan in its recent history. I am glad we can be a part of that,” says Jakub Janda, Executive Director of the European Values Center for Security Policy (EVC), which opened an office in Taiwan in January 2022 with the support of the President of Taiwan, Tsai Ing-Wen. The mission of the Taiwan office of the European Values Center for Security Policy is to foster exchanges primarily between Central European and Taiwanese experts on security-oriented topics and strengthen cooperation between Central Europe and Taiwan on matters of defense, foreign policy, and security policy.
Markéta Pekarová Adamová, Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, and Dr. Roy Chun Lee, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Republic of China (Taiwan), delivered opening remarks at the opening ceremony of the Czech Hub, which was held as a part of the program of the delegation. The Czech Hub, a new joint platform for governmental and non-governmental organizations, entrepreneurs, academics, startups, and cultural entities, is founded by the European Values Center for Security Policy and the Czech-Taiwanese Business Chamber, with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of China (Taiwan). The key activities of the Hub include organizing Czech-Taiwanese events that open security and economic topics and support new Czech-Taiwanese initiatives. The Hub also serves to streamline soft-landing services for Czech businesses, academics, and non-governmental organizations by offering a workspace, know-how, and relevant networks.
During the mission to Taiwan, the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Markéta Pekarová Adamová, spoke to the Parliament of Taiwan, where she recalled the turbulent Czechoslovak history and experience of totalitarian rule and stressed the long-term democratic partnership between the Czech Republic and Taiwan. “We are with you, as you are with us.” She noted the historical parallel of the Czechoslovak Radio broadcaster during 1968.
The program of the mission also brought disinformation and media literacy experts, including analysts from the European Values Center of Security Policy, to share their best practices. Under the EU-Taiwan Engagement Support Facility, the European Economic & Trade Office hosted the whole-day event in Kaohsiung with international experts and K-12 teachers from the southern region of Taiwan.
The Taiwanese Digital Minister Audrey Tang engaged in discussions about cyber and digital resilience with Czech and Ukrainian experts from Information Defense Hub. During this visit, Jakub Janda, director of EVC, also met with General Ting-sheng Lee, the deputy chief of the Institute of National Defense and Security Research, which is the primary Taiwanese defense cooperation think tank. This meeting and the discussions held demonstrate the strengthened cooperation between Taiwan and the Czech Republic due to our upgraded political relations, which is expected to provide a major boost to our long-term partnership.
