China seeks to revive ties with Czech Republic amid Taiwan tensions

China is trying to steady a relationship with the Czech Republic that has been strained by Taiwan, the Dalai Lama and a series of high-profile political contacts that Beijing sees as crossing red lines. Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Czech counterpart Petr Macinka that both sides should strengthen dialogue, deepen political trust and expand practical cooperation in economy, trade and tourism, while urging Prague to “practice the One-China principle” and return ties to a healthy track.

The diplomatic outreach comes as the Czech Republic remains one of Beijing’s more complicated European partners. Prague formally recognizes Beijing rather than Taiwan, yet Czech politics has moved closer to Taipei in recent years, and Taiwan has increased its investment footprint in the country. That gap between official policy and actual contacts has become the central test for China’s effort to revive what it calls a traditional friendship without softening on sovereignty disputes.

The tensions were visible in Prague last week, where Taiwan Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung spoke at the GLOBSEC Forum alongside a gathering that drew more than 1,800 participants from nearly 80 countries. Held May 21 to 23 under the auspices of Czech President Petr Pavel, the forum gave Lin a European stage to call for deeper Taiwan-Europe strategic cooperation. Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry said he framed that cooperation around democracy, rule of law and trusted technology, a message aimed squarely at Europe’s industrial and security debates.

Trade gives Beijing another reason to keep talking. The Czech Embassy in Beijing says bilateral trade turnover reached 39.731 billion in 2024, while the Czech trade deficit with China stood at 33.685 billion. Czech exports to China included parts and accessories of automatic data-processing machines and electron microscopes, underscoring how heavily the relationship depends on advanced manufacturing and technology supply chains even as politics remain fraught.

Those strains are set to deepen again next week. Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil is scheduled to lead a delegation to Taiwan from May 31 to June 4, with plans for political dialogue, cultural exchanges and the unveiling of a Havel Bench. Vystrcil last visited Taiwan in 2020, and his return will come after earlier Czech contacts with Taiwan and the Dalai Lama, including Petr Pavel’s meeting with the Tibetan spiritual leader in India in July and a parliamentary delegation trip to Dharamshala in December. Beijing’s message is clear: it wants commerce and calm, but not at the expense of Taiwan ties, security concerns or symbolic gestures that have already eroded trust.