Just 24 hours after being elected president of the Czech Republic (easily defeating Andrej Babiš in the runoff last week), retired General Petr Pavel was on the phone with Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen.

“I thanked her for her congratulations and assured her that Taiwan and the Czech Republic share the values ​​of freedom, democracy and human rights… I also expressed my hope that in the future I will have the opportunity to meet her in person,” Pavel himself noted in a tweet. confirming a phone conversation on Monday that reportedly lasted about 15 minutes.

According to Politico, for the first time in decades, a European leader is on the phone with the leadership of self-ruled Taiwan immediately after his election, a fact that Beijing, which considers Taiwan to be Chinese territory, will clearly not like this fact. . . .

Particularly in the case of the Czech Republic, Pavel’s position is a significant departure from the past, as outgoing President Milos Zeman was treated as an “old friend” of Beijing.

It remains to be seen what China’s reaction will be in practice if Pavel tries to get close to Taiwan or visits Taipei.

However, it is recalled that when Lithuania began to establish closer ties with Taiwan, Beijing responded with sanctions and restrictions.

It is recalled that 61-year-old retired General Petr Pavel was previously Chief of the General Staff of the Czech Armed Forces and President (from 2015 to 2018) of the NATO Military Commission, the highest military body of the Alliance. .

According to Politico