Premier Cho Jung-tai on Wednesday received a delegation from the Czech Republic led by Senate First Vice President Ji Draho. The premier said the Czech Republic is an important democratic friend of Taiwan, and has shown staunch support for Taiwan's international participation over many years. Since 2016, both sides have signed more than 20 memoranda of understanding in fields including technology, education, culture and trade—and with the Czech Centre Taipei opening on Friday, this further symbolizes the deepening Taiwan-Czech friendship.
Premier Cho said the administrative philosophy of Taiwan's new Cabinet is driving innovation to benefit everyone. As such, he looks forward to more comprehensive cooperation between Taiwan and the Czech Republic on advanced semiconductor research and supply chain resilience, so that people and industries in both nations can derive mutual benefit. The premier also expressed hope that democratic partner nations can stand in even firmer solidarity with one another to weather future economic fluctuations and geopolitical challenges.
In his remarks, First Vice President Draho said he fully supports the Czech government's policy statement which identifies Taiwan as a key democratic partner in Asia. To manifest the two nations' friendship, the Czech Republic has been taking concrete steps to support Taiwan's efforts to join the international arena, including international organizations and institutions.
First Vice President Draho emphasized that Czech-Taiwan joint projects have improved the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in the eastern part of Ukraine, and we should continue looking for more ways to strengthen our cooperation in supporting Ukraine. With regards to scientific cooperation, during the first vice president's previous visit in September 2022, the foundations were laid for a Czech-Taiwan democratic partner supply chain resilience and capacity-building cooperation plan, and the Czech Republic is also ready to be part of the global semiconductor ecosystem.