Beijing delivered a warning to the Czech Republic’s new president-elect following his phone call with Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen on Tuesday.
Petr Pavel, who won the presidential election on Sunday, has vowed to meet Tsai “in person in the future,” setting the stage for an unprecedented occasion between the heads of state of an EU country and Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory.
“Despite China’s repeated dissuasion and démarches, the Czech Republic’s president-elect Petr Pavel went ahead with the call with Tsai Ing-wen, a move that constituted official contact with the Taiwan authorities and a serious interference in China’s internal affairs,” Mao Ning, a spokeswoman from the Chinese foreign ministry, said at a press conference, according to the ministry.
“China deplores and strongly opposes this, and we have made solemn démarche to the Czech side,” Mao said. “We urge the Czech Republic to take immediate and effective measures to correct the wrongdoing, undo the negative impact of this incident and credibly abide by the ‘one-China principle.'”
Under the one China principle, the People’s Republic of China sees Taiwan as part of China, and China as the sole legitimate government of that single state.
According to AFP news agency, Mao added that Pavel “trampled on China’s red line” and “has hurt the feelings of the Chinese people.”
Wang Lutong, head of Europe at the Chinese foreign ministry, said in a tweet that he was “shocked” by Pavel’s call with the Taiwanese president.
The 15-minute phone conversation on Monday marks a departure from EU norms whereby official exchanges with Taiwan would be limited to civil servant or vice-ministerial levels.
It’s also a break from incumbent Czech President Miloš Zeman, whose 10-year tenure saw the Czech presidency align closely with Beijing’s own stance on politics and human rights.
