China’s foreign minister warned Monday that a top Czech lawmaker would "pay a heavy price” for visiting Taiwan, exposing continued tensions with Europe even as Beijing sought to push back against U.S. overtures on the continent.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi told reporters in Germany that Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil’s trip was a "betrayal” that made him "an enemy of 1.4 billion Chinese people.” Vystrcil is leading a 90-member delegation to Taiwan, including Prague Mayor Zdenek Hrib, a Beijing critic who in January made Taipei a sister city to the Czech capital.
"China will not sit idle and tolerate the Czech Senate leader’s provocation and the anti-China forces behind him,” Wang said. "We will make them pay a heavy price for such short-sighted behavior and political speculation.”