Taiwan's VP stands firm against Beijing's intimidation tactics

Taiwan’s vice president has stated that she will not be intimidated by Beijing after the government accused Chinese embassy officials of trying to smash her car during an official tour to Europe.

Taiwan’s main China policy body, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), stated on Friday that Hsiao Bi-khim’s motorcade was monitored and tracked in preparation for a ramming during a March 2024 visit to the Czech Republic.

The council, citing a Czech intelligence agency investigation, said that workers from the Chinese Embassy in Prague were responsible for the event.

Jan Pejsek, a Czech military intelligence spokesperson, told AFP on Sunday that Hsiao was targeted by “people legally employed in diplomatic positions at the Chinese Embassy in Prague.”

He said they tailed her and sought information about Hsiao’s programme and meetings with Czech officials.

“We even recorded attempts by the Chinese civil secret service to create conditions for a demonstrative kinetic action against a protected person, which, however, did not go beyond the preparatory stage,” Pejsek added.

Hsiao, who was vice president-elect at the time of the trip, posted on social media on Saturday, that she “had a great visit to Prague & thank the Czech authorities for their hospitality & ensuring my safety”.

“The CCP’s unlawful activities will NOT intimidate me from voicing Taiwan’s interests in the international community,” she said.

“Taiwan will not be isolated by intimidation,” she added.

‘Violent nature’

Like most countries, Prague does not have official diplomatic relations with Taipei.

China claims Taiwan as its territory and in recent years, has ramped up the deployment of fighter jets and warships around the self-ruled island. It has also sought to erase Taiwan from the international stage by poaching its diplomatic allies and blocking it from global forums.

Taipei said on Friday that “the Chinese Embassy in the Czech Republic followed, conducted surveillance on, and even attempted to ram the motorcade, seriously threatening the personal safety of Vice President Hsiao and her entourage”.

It added the incident exposed CCP’s “violent nature” and lack of “sincerity” in communication.

A Taiwan security official, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said it was a “typical case” of China’s “transnational repression” against dissidents or those who criticise China.

“China uses legal grey areas to harass, threaten or oppress their targets,” the official said.

The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), an international group that has challenged Beijing’s human rights record, said in a statement signed by 51 lawmakers from nearly 30 countries that it supported Hsiao and “Taiwanese citizens who may be subject to coercion by the Chinese state while travelling abroad”.

China’s foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said Friday that Prague had violated the “One-China principle” and its political commitments to China by allowing Hsaio, who it called a diehard “Taiwan independence” activist, to visit.

“Chinese diplomats always abide by the laws and regulations of host countries,” he said. He urged other countries not to be exploited by “Taiwan independence” separatists to “stir up troubles” and undermine the relations with China.