TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The new president of the Czech Senate, Miloš Vystrčil, will announce next week that he is planning to visit Taiwan in the autumn despite threats by China, reports said Saturday (June 6).

His predecessor, Jaroslav Kubera, passed away in January just as he was preparing to make a trip to the island nation. While Prague maintains official diplomatic relations with China, dealings with the communist country have become strained, while ties with Taiwan have intensified.

In an interview with the Czech magazine Reflex, Vystrčil said repeated attempts by Beijing to prevent trips by Kubera and by himself had only strengthened his determination to go ahead. He was likely to visit in September, since the Senate would select a new president in October, CNA reported.

Vystrčil referred to the example of Vaclav Havel, the long-time dissident under the communist regime who later became president and visited Taiwan in 2004 after leaving office.

If the senate leader goes ahead with his trip, he will be the highest-ranking politician from the Czech Republic to have visited Taiwan. Only the president ranks higher in the Central European country’s political structure.

China has threatened to retaliate against Czech business interests in the event of a Taiwan visit.