Prague [Czech Republic] June 27 : Czech authorities have confirmed that Chinese operatives monitored Taiwan's Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim during her visit to Prague in March 2024 and intended to cause a collision with her vehicle as part of an "unprecedented" provocation from Beijing in Europe, as reported by Central News Agency (CNA).
Czech Military Intelligence revealed that their Chinese counterparts tried to create conditions for staged incident involving Hsiao, which "did not progress beyond the planning phase," said agency director Petr Bartovsky in an interview with Czech Radio, as noted by CNA.
Moreover, a Chinese diplomat disobeyed a traffic signal to continue monitoring the Taiwanese delegation, according to the report. These actions occurred during Hsiao's first international trip after she and then-President-elect Lai Ching-te secured the presidential election win but before their inauguration, as stated by the CNA report.
While in Prague, Hsiao met with Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil and took photographs with him, a meeting believed to have angered China. Local intelligence operatives were on standby in case intervention was needed, as mentioned by Czech Radio and cited by CNA, indicating that Hsiao was never truly in danger.
Jan Pejsek, spokesperson for the Czech Military Intelligence Service, referred to the behaviour of Chinese officials as "approaching endangerment," highlighting their efforts to gather information on her schedule and document her interactions with notable figures in the Czech political and public domains, as reported by Czech Radio and quoted by CNA.
He further stated that the Chinese embassy "blatantly breached its obligations under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations." The agency remarked that this provocative endeavour was "unprecedented" by China in Europe, and the situation was reported to the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In response to the report, spokesperson for Taiwan's Presidential Office, Karen Kuo, stated at a press conference in Taipei on Thursday that Taiwan's security agencies were fully aware of the intelligence at that time.
She also expressed gratitude toward the Czech Republic for its robust support and the professional protection offered during Hsiao's visit. Karen added that Taiwan strongly denounces China's illegal actions, which contravene international norms and present significant risks to the global community.
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