The Mayor of Prague and the President of the Czech Senate have drawn strong criticism from China for being pro-Taiwan and for visiting Taipei. However, they have a broad base of popular support in the region and are well received by voters, showing that Czech society still values democracy and human rights and ignores all forms of intimidation from Beijing. The mayor of Prague will be on the front lines of hospital treatment of outbreak victims as a volunteer. The Senate President’s party won the parliamentary elections that took place after his visit to Taiwan.
Mayor Prague Volunteers on the Front Line of the Epidemic
The Mayor of Prague from the Pirate Party is known for his political stance in support of Taiwan and his sympathy for Tibetans in exile. In late August and early September, Czech Senate President Vitesi visited Taiwan with a large delegation of nearly 90 people. Herrenknecht was accompanying him. These moves by leading Czech politicians drew strong criticism from Beijing, but did little to dampen their support among voters.
Prague’s mayor, Herrenknecht, continued his pro-democracy campaign. On October 22, he announced that starting on October 27, he will be on the front lines of helping and treating patients with the neonatal epidemic in a Prague hospital as a volunteer. He said he will continue to perform his duties as mayor and attend city meetings, and that his volunteer work will focus on the evenings.
Horip, who studied medicine in Taiwan, will work under the guidance of experienced doctors. He said he expects the gesture will lead to more people volunteering to help on the front lines of the epidemic. He said that while Prague has stocked up on medical supplies, such as masks, for the second wave of the epidemic, as the number of patients grows, so too will the number of infected and depleted medical staff.
Czech epidemic situation is severe, foreign aid requested
All European countries are currently facing a second wave of the epidemic, with the Czech Republic being particularly vulnerable. The Czech Republic has implemented mandatory masks on public transportation and in public places, as well as other measures to deal with the epidemic. The Czech Republic will soon face a shortage of medical staff and strain on medical equipment due to the rapid spread of the epidemic and the number of infections. Czech officials have indicated that the country may need outside help to combat the outbreak, and requests have been made to NATO allies and the European Union for help.
The Czech prime minister said that neighboring Hungary will supply the Czech Republic with 150 artificial respirators. The Czech defense minister said that NATO headquarters has also decided to provide the Czech government with dozens of artificial respirators from its stockpile in the Czech Republic. Earlier, the European Union decided to supply the Czech Republic with 60 ventilators, and more than 20 U.S. military doctors will arrive to help. In the spring, China also provided medical aid to European countries such as Italy and Serbia, and used this as a publicity tool.
Speaker’s Visit to Taiwan Gains Popularity as His Party Wins Elections
The President of the Senate is the second most important Czech political figure after the President. The Czech Civic Democratic Party (CDP), of which Senate President Vitez is a member, is the main party in Czech politics. The right-wing Civic Democrats are currently in opposition, but have been in power several times in the past. The Civic Democratic Party was formed in the early 1990s on the basis of the famous Czech Civic Forum. Founded and led by the late former Czech President and dissident Havel, the Civic Forum was a major political force at the time and played a key role in the 1989 Czech Velvet Revolution, the overthrow of the Communist regime, and the democratization of the Czech Republic.
In a speech in Taiwan, Vitezzi said he was Taiwanese. Following his visit to Taiwan, the Civic Democrats and other right-wing opposition parties won a landslide victory in the Czech Senate re-election in early October. The Czech Senate re-elects about one-third of its members every two years. Vitezi is now on the list of possible candidates for the Czech presidential race by many local political commentators.
The term of current Czech President Zeman, who is known to be both pro-Beijing and pro-Moscow, will end in 2023. But Czech politics and the media are discussing the possibility that Zeman may leave office early for health reasons.
Adhering to Basic Principles and Not Being Seduced by Beijing
Despite China’s frequent temptations of economic gain, coupled with pressure from China, there are many politicians in Czech politics who remain unmoved by liberal and democratic ideals, says Russian commentator Nikolay Nikolaysky. The Czechs have experienced the Prague Spring and the Velvet Revolution, he said, and as a result, these politicians have a broad base of support at the grassroots level and are strongly supported by voters.
He said Czech society has long been concerned about issues such as Tibet and Taiwan, and is not swayed by the lure of China’s economic interests.
It is clear that issues like June 4, Tiananmen Square, Tibet, the religious and human rights situation in China, political persecution, and other issues are very principled issues for many Czechs. They cannot concede to Beijing because of certain interests,” he said. In addition, the power of Russian diaspora groups critical of Putin is very strong in the Czech Republic, and China’s ties to the Putin regime are now very close, which immediately reminds many in Czech society of the Soviet past when they think of the CCP.”
The Czech Republic’s unique history and political ecology is different from other EU countries that have not suffered from communist rule, Nikolski said. China’s belief that it can get its own interests and achieve its own goals in the Czech Republic by getting in touch with individual political figures such as Zeman is both ignorant of Eastern Europe and the Czech Republic, and naive and simplistic.
Growing Concerns About Russian and Chinese Security Threats
The Czech Foreign Minister recently voiced his support for Western criticism of China’s violations of Uighur interests in Xinjiang. Dozens of lawmakers from right-wing parties in the Czech Senate and Chamber of Deputies, including the Civic Democrats, issued a joint open letter a few days ago calling on the Czech government’s cabinet to consider national security by banning Chinese and Russian companies from bidding for a nuclear power plant in the Czech Republic. The tender for the construction of the plant, which could total 6 billion euros, is due to start in December.
Czech security agencies have been regularly alerting China and Russia to the threat posed by the country’s security for the last two years. The head of the Czech National Security and Information Agency said in September that Russia and China often influence Czech local governments by releasing disinformation, hacking, and intimidation. A major Czech media outlet also published an investigative report in September that a Chinese telecom company based in Shenzhen with close ties to the Chinese military was openly collecting information on the social media activities of many former high-ranking Czech officials, members of the diplomatic community, academic elite, and security agency staff.
Recent Comments