On Monday, Czech president-elect Petr Pavel held a phone call with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文). Pavel reportedly said Taiwan is a trustworthy partner, and the Czech Republic would support Taiwan in upholding its democracy free from authoritarian coercion.
Given Taiwan’s growing diplomatic isolation due to Chinese obstruction, many described the gesture as a diplomatic coup for Taipei — and rightly so. In a European context, the president-elect’s phone call with Tsai is without precedent.