Czech senate speaker's Taiwan trip "boyish provocation": Czech president

Czech President Milos Zeman said on Sunday that he has no understanding for Czech senate speaker Milos Vystrcil’s trip to Taiwan and called his behavior “boyish provocation.”

Speaking to local Prima TV, Zeman said he will no longer invite Vystrcil to high-level foreign policy meetings due to his Taiwan trip. “Those who do not follow the rules of the game cannot play the game,” he said.

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis criticized Vystrcil, saying he violated the one-China principle and mixed politics with business. In response to a question of Zeman’s comments, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said China appreciates President Zeman’s goodwill to promote China-Czech bilateral cooperation and his position on the Taiwan question.

“A healthy bilateral relationship will benefit people from both countries, and we hope the Czech side could develop the relations on the basis of equality and mutual respect,” Zhao said. Vystrcil, along with a team of 90, traveled to Taiwan last week on a so-called “trade mission.”