Czech Chamber of Deputies Speaker Markéta Pekarová Adamová is scheduled to lead a delegation of more than 160 officials, reporters, and experts to visit Taiwan this weekend.
It will be the biggest delegation to visit Taiwan since Czech Senate President Miloš Vystrčil visited Taiwan in 2020.
The delegation’s itinerary also includes speaking at the legislature and attending a meeting on economic cooperation and a forum on net-zero cities.
The Czechs’ centre-right government has sought to develop relations with Taiwan which has become one of the leading foreign investors in the EU member state.
Newly elected Czech president Petr Pavel drew a sharp rebuke from Beijing in January after taking a call from Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-Wen, a clear shift from his predecessor’s attempts to win Chinese business.
The Foreign Ministry says Taiwan and the Czech Republic are partners with similar principles and interactions between the two countries have been increasing.
China, which claims Taiwan as its own, has called lower house speaker Marketa Pekarova Adamova’s planned trip, due take place on March 25-30 after a stop in South Korea, a “wrongful decision”.
“From Taiwan’s perspective, this is the largest foreign visit in its modern history, and from our perspective it is the largest foreign business delegation in five years,” Pekarova Adamova said.
“There was a public warning (from China), but there has not been any other act. I think our initial response was clear and strong enough.”
