Winston Churchill cited as West urged to stand with Taiwan

One of the most senior European politicians to visit Taiwan has quoted Churchill in a warning that the West must stand up to China.

Czech Senate president Milos Vystrcil at the parliament in Taipei. Picture: AFP

One of the most senior European politicians to visit Taiwan has quoted Winston Churchill in a warning to Western nations that they must stand up to China.

Milos Vystrcil, president of the Czech Senate, spoke out on a visit to Taipei after Beijing said his country would pay a “heavy price” for his trip.

Mr Vystrcil said that democracies must challenge Beijing’s crackdown on Hong Kong, and urged the world to heed history’s lesson and not appease China by sacrificing Taiwan.

“You were given the choice between war and dishonour. You chose dishonour, and you will have war,” he said, quoting Churchill’s reaction to the ­appeasement of Nazi Germany.

China sees Taiwan as its own territory and has threatened to take it by force if necessary by 2050. Beijing had earlier warned that the Czech Republic faced ­repercussions for Mr Vystrcil’s visit at the head of an 89-strong delegation. Wang Yi, the Chinese Foreign Minister, visiting Germany, criticised the visit.

“Taiwan is an inalienable part of the Chinese territory. To challenge the ‘One China’ principle is to become an enemy of the 1.4 billion Chinese people and is a breach of trust,” Mr Wang said.

“The Chinese government and people will not sit back and watch idly when it comes to the public provocation by the Czech Senate president and the anti-China forces behind it.

“We must make him pay a heavy price for his shortsighted behaviour and political speculation.”

His comments led to the Chinese ambassador being summoned by Czech foreign ministry

The Czech foreign ministry said Deputy Minister Martin Tlapa had expressed “fundamental disapproval” of Mr Wang’s comments.

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis labelled the statement ­“impertinent and inappropriate”.

The Czech government ­accepts the One China policy under which Beijing considers Taiwan a part of its territory, with reunification by force an option, and does not send official delegations to the island.

But Mr Vystrcil is a member of the right-wing opposition Civic Democrats and is not bound by the protocol.

His 90-member group, including politicians, entrepreneurs, scientists and journalists, will stay in Taiwan until Friday.

He will give a speech in Taiwan’s parliament on Tuesday and will meet President Tsai Ing-wen, whose re-election earlier this year upset China as she views the ­island as a sovereign nation.

Mr Vystrcil said his trip would fulfil the legacy of the late Czech president Vaclav Havel, a human rights fighter and dissident leader of the 1989 Velvet Revolution which toppled communism in the former Czechoslovakia.

The Times, AFP