Taiwan on frontline against authoritarianism, former president says in Prague

By Jan Lopatka

Taiwan is on the frontline of defending democracy from assault by authoritarian countries, former president Tsai Ing-wen said at a conference in Prague on Monday.

Czech President Petr Pavel greeted Tsai on her arrival at the conference, part of a sensitive visit for a senior politician whom Beijing has repeatedly denounced as "separatist".

The Czech Republic, like most countries, has no official diplomatic ties with Chinese-claimed Taiwan, but the two sides have moved closer as Beijing ratchets up military threats against the island and Taipei seeks new friends in Eastern and Central Europe.

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China's military launched a new round of war games near Taiwan on Monday, drawing condemnation from the Taipei and U.S. governments.

Tsai said authoritarian regimes wanted to export their form of government to the rest of the world, using methods from information warfare to threats and invasion, and tried in increasingly aggressive ways to paralyse democratic societies.

"Amidst all this Taiwan stands on the frontline of the assault," Tsai said. "The most recent action taken is China's announcement earlier today of a military exercise."

"For more than half a century, Taiwan has faced constant intimidation from the Chinese communist regime, which has tried in every possible way to annex Taiwan, and those threats only intensified as Taiwan became an integral part of the international community."

Pavel and Tsai shook hands and spoke briefly at the opening of the Forum 2000 conference, and the former Taiwanese leader sat through an opening speech by Pavel and a panel he was part of.

Nevertheless, Pavel did not plan a meeting with Tsai, his office said. Tsai was due to meet the heads of both chambers of the Czech parliament later on Monday.

The Chinese embassy in Prague did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tsai's visit. Chinese media have quoted a foreign ministry spokesperson as saying China firmly opposed the visit.

The annual Forum 2000 conferences, initiated by former Czech president Vaclav Havel, bring together leaders and thinkers from around the world to discuss democracy, human rights and civil society.

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Pavel held a phone call with Tsai when she was still in office and he was president-elect in January last year, drawing China's anger.

In remarks to the conference on Monday, Pavel called on China to use its influence to help end the war in Ukraine. He also urged Beijing to respect human rights and to show restraint in the Taiwan Strait, without making a direct reference to the war games China is currently conducting around the island.