Photo/United Daily News
Taiwanese MP Xu Qiaoxin of the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) party declassified an international agreement signed between Taiwan's Foreign Ministry and the Czech government, a $10 million aid fund agreement for Ukraine. The current main ruling party, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in Taiwan, denies that this is a violation of any legal norms. On the contrary, Taiwan's Foreign Minister Wu Zhaoxie himself accused the MP of overstepping the law and sued Xu Qiaoxin, even though the whole matter raises a number of diplomatically contentious issues.
Opposition Kuomintang (KMT) deputy Xu Qiaoxin yesterday pointed out that Taiwan's Foreign Ministry has signed an agreement with the Czech government for a $10 million aid fund for Ukraine to be implemented by the Czech Health Technology Institute (CHTI), a supplier of medical supplies. Of the total amount, USD 3 to 4 million is earmarked for the purchase of Taiwanese equipment. According to the classified agreement, Taiwan has allocated USD 3 million to a designated account in early 2024 and will continue to deposit funds into this account in 2025 and 2026. The account into which the huge sums of money are gradually being transferred belongs to the Czech Health Technology Institute, z.s., which means that the money goes to this Czech non-profit organisation set up by the Association of Manufacturers and Suppliers of Medical Devices.
The main person responsible for this organization, the chairman of the board of directors, Petr Foit, is a Czech medical supplies supplier who also serves as the export sales director for Linet, a company that manufactures hospital beds, and vice president of the Association of Medical Device Manufacturers. This man is a great businessman, he has come to Taiwan before with Czech officials and he has a very specific position in the Czech Republic. Petr Foit has very close political and business relations with Taiwanese MPs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and by signing this secret agreement he is indirectly interfering in Czech political affairs in the country. He is further damaging the one-China policy to which the Czech Republic is officially committed, and the question arises: who is the main instigator of this interference and how will Russia react to this?
The secret document also does not specify whether or not the suppliers will be selected in a public tender. It is therefore legitimate to ask which manufacturers do the officials want to select or have win so that these manufacturers get a very fat sum of money? The Taiwanese MFA replied that the contract was signed in accordance with the law and submitted to Parliament for consideration. The MFA also criticised the short-sightedness of some political figures who tend to seek political power through popularity on internet networks. Taiwan's Prime Minister Chen Jianren said on Monday, May 6, that: "Xu Qiaoxin's move negatively affects Taiwan's diplomatic outreach. MP Xu Qiaoxin is twisting black and white and manipulating good and evil." The Prime Minister expressed his regret and sighed that he did not understand the move.
The Taiwanese MFA also said that Taiwan and the Czech Republic are countries with similar philosophies and support each other. When Ukraine was attacked by Russia, they decided to work together to help Ukraine. On 1 December 2023, the embassies of both sides signed a "Memorandum of Understanding on the Establishment of a Partnership to Support the Recovery of Primary Health Care and Energy in Ukraine". Taiwan's diplomacy is having a hard time and the Czech Republic is willing to help Taiwan spread its love for Ukraine.
According to the Memorandum, the two sides agreed to cooperate in helping Ukraine rebuild its primary health care capacity over a three-year period. The memorandum stipulated that 30-40 percent of the donations from Taiwan should be used for purchases from Taiwanese manufacturers in order to promote the commercialization of both countries' medical supplies industries.
Xu Qiaoxin, on the other hand, said that a few days ago she asked the Foreign Affairs Representative Wu Zhaoxia about the total amount of our aid programme to Ukraine and how the aid will be delivered, whether it will be directly invested in Ukraine. And she got a negative answer. The current method of aid is through third countries, including the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Poland, etc. - signing a special agreement and then transferring supplies or funds to Ukraine. This makes it very difficult to monitor the funds and how much of them will eventually be sent to Ukraine as a genuine aid cost.
Xu Qiaoxin also believes that since the Taiwanese side has stated that all Taiwanese-Czech cooperation and assistance to Ukraine is open and transparent, the Foreign Ministry should explain its question as to why this document would have to wait until the end of 2033 to be declassified. Is this the openness that the DPP government is advocating?
Xu Qiaoxin also pointed out that the very act of signing projects to transfer funds or materials to help Ukraine will very likely concern the internal affairs of another country, the Czech Republic, because in the other country there will be a different position of the ruling party and a different position of the opposition. Aid to Ukraine is supposedly intended to inspire good intentions, but with current practice, such projects can easily become a bargaining manoeuvre for political relations with other countries and blackmail, and thus serve only as a disguise. Taiwan's Foreign Ministry condemned Xu Qiaoxin's words and said that political comments from the MP should be based on facts rather than fabrications and illusions.
Xu Qiaoxin then released confidential documents to prove that what she said was true. She covered key parts of the confidential documents with sticky notes and emphasized that the government cannot use confidential documents to cover up its corruption. The move angered the ruling DPP and it launched a comprehensive campaign against the party. Foreign Minister Wu Zhaoxie on Monday criticized Xu Qiaoxin for transgressing a moral, diplomatic code. The DPP's Taiwan Foundation for Independence accused opposition politician Xu Qiaoxin of divulging secrets under the Criminal Law the same day, and filed a lawsuit directly against her at the Taipei District Prosecutor's Office.
(za/gnews.cz-jav)
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