TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Presidential Office on Thursday condemned Beijing for an incident in March 2024 in which Chinese diplomats tailed Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) during her visit to the Czech Republic and nearly caused a car accident. 

Hsiao embarked on a three-day visit to the Czech Republic on March 18, 2024, where she met with top leadership, including Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil, per CNA. However, Czech reports later emerged that she was followed by Chinese diplomats during the visit, and a collision involving her motorcade was narrowly avoided. 

Czech Military Intelligence Director Petr Bartovsky confirmed to the news site iROZHLAS that personnel from the military section of China's embassy in Prague were tasked with surveilling every aspect of Hsiao's visit to the country. This allegedly included a plan to take “kinetic action” against Hsiao in the form of a collision with the vehicle carrying her. 

Two weeks after her visit, Seznam reported that a Chinese diplomat had run a red light in the center of Prague after Hsiao's motorcade passed through an intersection. However, Bartovsky said that the incident occurred because the deputy military attache was attempting to keep up with Hsiao, and the plan to ram her vehicle was not implemented. 

Jan Pejsek, spokesperson for the Czech Military Intelligence Service, said, “These activities, which flagrantly violate the obligations under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, were carried out, among others, by persons accredited to diplomatic positions at the Chinese Embassy in Prague.”

Presidential Office Spokesperson Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said that Taiwan’s security agencies had full awareness of all relevant intelligence throughout the incident. She thanked the Czech Republic for its strong support and thorough, professional security that ensured Hsiao's safety.

Kuo stressed that, “We strongly condemn China's illegal actions, which violate international rules and bring risk and danger to the international community.”