The move has interesting implications for domestic politics in both the Czech Republic and Taiwan, as well as for China-Czech relations.

The Diplomat
Date: December 17, 2019
By: Gregory Coutaz   

rague Mayor Zdenek Hrib announced on December 2, 2019, that the Czech capital would sign a sister city agreement with Taipei in January 2020, during a planned visit by Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je. The announcement came just two months after Hrib canceled a similar sister city agreement with Beijing.

Since his election in November 2018, Zdenek Hrib, a doctor who did a medical training internship in Taiwan, has raised the ire of China on several occasions, including by meeting with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, resisting Chinese demands to expel Taiwan’s representative from a meeting of foreign diplomats, and expressing his support for Taiwan’s participation in such international organizations as the World Health Organization. In response to Mayor Hrib’s actions, which were perceived by Beijing as openly challenging the Czech Republic’s “one-China” policy, Chinese authorities swiftly punished institutions that have ties to Prague, canceling a planned tour of China by the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, backtracking on their promise to send pandas to the city’s zoo, and threatening to limit the number of Chinese tourists allowed to visit the European country.

The pro-Taiwan stance adopted by Zdenek Hrib stands apart from the country’s current pro-Chinese president, Milos Zeman. Since Zeman became president in 2013, the bilateral relationship between the Czech Republic and China has experienced a dramatic upswing. Calling Chinese President Xi Jinping his “best friend” and pledging to turn his country into “China’s gateway to Europe,” Milos Zeman has spared no effort to win the favor of Beijing.

However, this proximity between the Czech president and his Chinese counterpart, combined with the growing influence of China in the Czech economy (the Asian giant is about to become the second-largest trading partner for the Czech Republic) is increasingly viewed with suspicion by the local population. A recent survey by Pew Research found that just 27 percent of Czechs harbored a positive opinion of China – the second-lowest rate in Europe.

Zdenek Hrib, a clear opponent to Zeman, has taken advantage of his office to criticize the Czech political and business elite for their coziness with China. A member of the anti-establishment Pirate Party, the Prague mayor seeks to reassert the humanitarian foreign policy famously promoted by Vaclav Havel. The former Czech president was not only one of the great figures of anti-communist resistance, but also a strong supporter and admirer of the Dalai Lama.    [FULL  STORY]