China warns of retaliation over Taiwanese visit to the Czech Republic

China has warned of possible retaliation over the forthcoming visit of Taiwanese diplomacy to the Czech Republic and Slovakia, Reuters has reported. China is ready to take "measures to firmly defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity," says Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry.

Czech Foreign Minister Jakub Kulhánek has condemned Chinese response to the visit. In response to CTK, he said China "talked big."

China considers Taiwan as one of its states. Visits by top-elected Taiwanese officials abroad always spark heavy criticism from Beijing, which interprets such visits as support for the island's independence.

Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu will attend a conference held by an independent NGO in Slovakia next week. He will continue to Prague where he will meet Senate head Miloš Vystrčil and Mayor of Prague Zdeněk Hřib.

Last year, Vystrčil and Hřib visited Taiwan, which also provoked sharp condemnation from Chinese authorities.

Wenbin said at a press conference on Friday that he would closely follow Wu's visit to both countries.

China will take appropriate and necessary steps to firmly defend its national sovereignty and territorial integrity, Reuters wrote, referring to Wang's comments. The spokesperson did not elaborate on what measures China intended to take.

"In my point of view, such flexing of muscles does not have a place in diplomacy," Kulhánek told CTK at an international summit he attended with counterparts from Austria, Hungary, and Slovakia.

"The Taiwanese delegation [will visit the Czech Republic and Slovakia] following an invitation from a private institute. The Czech government is not involved in this, because since the times of president Václav Havel, we have been respecting the One China policy."

Taiwan does not have any official diplomatic relations with any European countries except for the Vatican. Many states are not able to host high Taiwanese officials due to Chinese pressure, Reuters notes.

However, Taiwanese Foreign Minister Wu previously visited Denmark in 2019 when he gave a speech at a democratic summit in Copenhagen.