After a high-profile visit to Taiwan by Czech Senate President Miloš Vystrčil and a public threat by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to make him “pay a heavy price,” a Beijing customer temporarily canceled a piano order worth 5.3 million Czech crowns (about $235,000). After the news broke, Karel Komárek, a wealthy Czech, decided to buy the pianos and donate them to Czech schools.
Zuzana Ceralova Petrofova, president of the Czech Piano Factory, mentioned last Friday (4) that a client in Beijing, China, had temporarily canceled an order for pianos worth up to CZK 5.3 million, citing the impact of Vesterchil’s visit to Taiwan on Czech-Chinese relations. The customer said that the Chinese government was planning to impose an embargo on the Czech Republic and its products, and that it could not afford the fines that the Chinese government might impose, so it had to cancel the order temporarily and put on hold the delivery of a batch of pianos that were ready to be delivered.
Komarek said that when he heard about the problems with the pianos, he and his wife immediately decided to buy the pianos in the name of the foundation and give them to Czech schools, hoping that the 11 pianos would become a symbol of Czech pride and unity. He and his wife immediately decided to buy the pianos in the name of the foundation and donate them to the Czech school, hoping that the eleven pianos would become a symbol of Czech pride and solidarity.
The pro-China Czech President Milos Zeman had recently criticized Vestecil’s visit to Taiwan, saying, “I think it’s a childish provocation,” and slammed it as potentially damaging to domestic businesses. Vestercil stressed that the Czech Republic must have freedom and democracy if it wants to prosper, and cannot rely on non-democratic countries.
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