Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Czech Republic seeks upgrade in ties with Taiwan: CECO head

Taipei, March 30 (CNA) The Czech Republic is ready to boost its exchanges with Taiwan to a fuller scale as it hopes to upgrade bilateral relations, especially in trade and culture, after the economic crisis, top Czech diplomat in Taiwan told CNA in an interview Tuesday.

Commenting on current Czech-Taiwan relations, Czech Economic and Cultural Office (CECO) Representative Juraj Koudelka said that in terms of the number of tourists, the number of Taiwanese companies investing in the Czech Republic and bilateral exchanges of goods, the Czech Republic's relations with Taiwan "are on a high and very good level." The CECO's effort in promoting bilateral relations has been fruitful in recent years, but it is not satisfied yet, Koudelka said. As the global economy is showing a rebound, he said, his office intends to do more to facilitate more exchanges, which are expected to translate into stronger bilateral ties.

An estimated 15,000 Taiwanese tourists visited the Central European country last year. The number is expected to grow and return to the pre-economic crisis period because there will be more travelers now that the economy is starting to show signs of recovery, said Koudelka, who took office as the de facto ambassador in January, in the absence of formal diplomatic ties.

Tourism is important in increasing bilateral understanding, because of the "people to people contact, " he said.

Koudelka said he didn't know exactly when Taiwan will be granted visa-free privilege to the Schengen Area, which currently consists of 25 European countries, but he expected the visa-free program would make it easier for Taiwanese tourists to travel.

The Czech Republic has been very supportive of the proposed measure, he said, noting that it was his country which first raised the issue during its European Union (EU) presidency in the first half of 2009.

Meanwhile, the representative dubbed his country's year-long "Czech Gems" exhibition tour, which just concluded in the southern city of Tainan after making trips to other major cities in Taiwan, a big success and a great opportunity to promote Czech culture.

The exhibition is composed of three parts, including the country's renowned Baroque architecture, a creative recycling art of the PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles, and a collection introducing Czech gems, such as the Prague castle, the largest castle in the world; peasant Baroque farmhouses; the unique breed of Old Kladruby Horses, and composer Antonin Dvorak's Symphony No. 9.

Koudelka's office would like to support as much cultural exchanges as possible and keep raising awareness of the possibilities for more Taiwanese companies to follow the footsteps of some 30 well-known local corporations -- including Foxconn, computer maker Acer and bicycle manufacturer Giant -- to invest in Czech, he said.

Czech companies are more than welcomed to invest in Taiwan, he said, adding that the current number of Czech companies in Taiwan is "less than we would like to have." Taiwanese companies are also encouraged to take advantage of the Czech Republic's geographic position, which is located in the heart of Europe; its educated workforce with advanced knowledge of science; its lower wages and low production cost; and its emphasis on the rule of law, he said.

Since the Czech Republic has a strong automobile industry, with car maker Skoda Auto, now a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group, selling 600,000 cars a year, Taiwanese businesses will be welcomed to explore partnerships. Other sectors, including textile, nanotechnology, environmental technology, and biological and chemical products, also present opportunities, Koudelka said.

Meanwhile, CECO also would like to bring in more Czech investment and imports, although the office could only make suggestions and recommendations, he noted.

Asked about the recent debate in Taiwan about whether to abolish the death penalty, Koudelka said that he will not try to give advice to anyone. As an EU member country, he said, abolition of the capital punishment came naturally for the Czech Republic.

He observed that the discussion regarding the death penalty in his country had also been very difficult and he believed that due process is very important.

Offering observations, he said that several things are quite important as "first, it (the death penalty) is forever and you can't undo it. Second, sometimes it can be misused, which has happened in our history. Third, research has found that the death penalty does not serve as an effective tool to reduce criminality." The Czech Republic abolished the death penalty because "in our view, human rights are very important. They are a very strong part of what we do and what we believe in," said Koudelka. (By Chris Wang) enditem/cs