Minister Kung, Ming-Hsin of the National Development Council (NDC) led a delegation to the Czech Senate on July 25 at the invitation of President Miloš Vystrčil. Minister Kung emphasized that this visit, built upon his previous trip in 2021 to Slovakia, Czechia, and Lithuania, underscored Taiwan's commitment to fostering robust bilateral economic, trade, and industrial ties and building sustainable and beneficial supply chains with democratic allies through multi-mechanisms such as the Central and Eastern Europe Investment Fund and Financing Facility, industrial cooperation, and talent exchange, etc.
The 28-member delegation led by Minister Kung representing government, industry, academia, and research institutes departed from Taiwan on July 22 and arrived in Prague on a direct flight. The delegation consisted of representatives from Chunghwa Telecom, SEMI Taiwan, and major research institutes, universities, as well as the ICT, semiconductor, finance, and venture capital sectors. This visit was aimed at strengthening bilateral ties with the Czech Republic in semiconductor, talent development, 5G, and scientific research.
President Miloš Vystrčil cordially welcomed the delegation led by Minister Kung along with 1
st Vice-President Jiří Drahoš, Vice President Jitka Seitlová, Vice President Jiří Oberfalzer, Chairperson David Smoljak of the Committee on EU Affairs, and Chairperson Miroslav Plevný of the Committee on National Economy, Agriculture and Transport. Recognizing Minister Kung's return to the Czech Republic after two years, President Vystrčil was pleased to see the deepening of bilateral relations over the years. Minister Kung expressed sincere gratitude to President Vystrčil for his invitation and showed the T-Shirt with "I am Taiwanese,” gifted by President Vystrčil during his visit to Taiwan in 2021, symbolizing the shared values of freedom, democracy, and human rights between Taiwan and the Czech Republic.
In his remarks during the rendezvous, Minister Kung expressed appreciation to President Vystrčil for his invitation to engage in bilateral exchanges at the Parliament, a sacred venue that can only be found in democratic countries. Minister Kung acknowledged the Czech Republic as Taiwan's best partner in Europe and fruitful outcomes and promising collaboration resulting from this visit. Since Minister Kung’s last visit in Oct. 2021, the NDC has been in charge of monitoring the implementation of Central and Eastern Europe projects. In addition to honoring the previous commitments to President Vystrčil, the NDC has also established Central and Eastern Europe Investment Fund of $200 million and Financing Facility of $1 billion. In particular, $5 million has already been invested in a Czech VR Company though the Investment Fund, while the Financing Facility granted approval for $7.2 million, sought by Inventec for expanding investments in the Czech Republic, with multiple potential projects under review. Other major outcomes included the direct flight between Taipei and Prague inaugurated in July this year, with which the delegation flew, as well as the representative office in Prague of Eximbank and Taiwan Cooperative Bank. These endeavors aimed to deepen bilateral collaboration between Taiwan and the Czech Republic in finance, semiconductor, and talent development and lay a solid foundation for building supply chains with democratic allies. Meanwhile, Minister Kung has also extended an invitation to President Vystrčil for another visit to Taiwan, demonstrating the friendship between Taiwan and the Czech Republic.
Minister Kung met with Speaker Markéta Pekarová Adamová of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament on July 24, who had led a 100-member delegation to Taiwan in March this year and extended a warm welcome to the Minister on behalf of the Chamber of Deputies. The meeting saw fruitful exchanges on economy, trade, culture, and industry. Minister Kung also engaged with Chairman Pavel Fischer of the Committee on Foreign Affairs as well as other key Czech representatives from the Ministry of Science, Research and Innovation, Ministry of Industry and Trade, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, and Technology Agency of the Czech Republic. These exchanges revolved around bilateral cooperation in human resource development, industrial collaboration, scientific research, as well as investment and trade between Taiwan and the Czech Republic in the future.
The delegation engaged in exchanges with the Czech industry, particularly within the semiconductor sector. These exchanges facilitated collaborative dialogues between representatives from Taiwan and Czech semiconductor industry, academia, and research institutes. The delegation also had fruitful engagements with the 5G technology and regulation division under the Ministry of Industry and Trade as well as Czech telecommunications and O-RAN operators, exploring 5G development in both countries. The discussions involved 5G regulations and technology, private 5G networks, and opportunities in the O-RAN market. The shared objective of both sides is to explore collaboration through sustained industry interaction.
Taiwan, through its European Connectivity Project, continues to build resilient supply chains with like-minded partners who share the value of democracy and freedom. Particularly, at this historic juncture when the global supply chain is undergoing restructuring, Taiwan and the Czech Republic can work together to play a key role in the international arena.
For more details, please contact:
Connie Chang, Director General of the Department of Overall Planning
0910-213-55