TAIPEI – Taiwan's vice-president-elect and former de facto ambassador to Washington, Ms Hsiao Bi-khim, is on a visit to the Czech Republic following a low-key trip to the United States, the foreign ministry said on March 19, triggering anger from China.

Ms Hsiao, who takes office with president-elect Lai Ching-te in May, is viewed by China as a "diehard Taiwan independence separatist" and Beijing has placed sanctions on her.

China claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, a view the government in Taipei strongly rejects.

Taiwan Foreign Ministry spokesman Jeff Liu said Ms Hsiao had been invited to the Czech Republic by the Sinopsis think-tank and will speak to it, as well as meet other "friends" in the country to exchange views ahead of her inauguration.

Czech Senate Speaker Milos Vystrcil, who visited Taiwan in 2020, on March 19 posted a picture on his X social media page of him meeting and chatting with Ms Hsiao.

In Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said the Czech government should “severely restrain certain (Czech) politicians” and “take effective measures to remove the negative influence of this incident”.

Taiwan has no formal diplomatic ties with any European country except the Vatican.

But Central and Eastern European countries have been particularly keen to show support for Taiwan – especially following Russia's attack of Ukraine def–ying Beijing's anger about such contacts and lessening Taiwan's international diplomatic isolation.

China expressed anger last week about Ms Hsiao's US trip, in what both Taiwan and the United States termed a private visit. REUTERS