Showing posts with label Czech. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Czech. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Xi's visit to Czech Republic: protests and positives

The First Foundation is thataway.

Czech Taiwan and China security expert Michal Thim just posted this to Facebook

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Toward the end of the video (on Youtube), a Chinese woman (I will leave her possible affiliations to everyone's own considerations) tells a Czech citizen that he is not "welcome here". Here means Prague, and she is a part of large group of Chinese "volunteers" who moved around in a buses, ostensibly to welcome Chinese President in Prague, and confronted protesters, especially those who were holding Tibetan flags. In some places they obstructed view with huge PRC flags they carried, or using the buses they rented.

On related note, one of online news sites reported that the Chinese embassy instructed (although it was careful enough not to be direct coordinator, some shady Czech-Chinese Commerce Association was) "volunteers" to tear down undesirable flags, make noise, not to openly provoke, but not to be afraid to confront either. Source is one of the Chinese students who spoke on condition of anonymity. The "volunteers" consisted of people who work in the Czech Republic for Chinese companies like Huawei, students, and also "tourists".

Of course, there was no need to mobilize Chinese citizens who reside in the Czech Republic, Chinese Embassy could just let the protesters protest and deal with the official business. But none of this is exactly new. We have seen it prior to 2008 Olympics in places like Paris or in London last year. I actually have hard times to understand it because in the end of the day, it is counter-productive. I can see in online discussions that many people who otherwise would not care are outraged with the spectacle, by apparent disinterest of Czech police to protect constitutional rights of Czech citizens, and by the kowtow approach the Czech President demonstrates.

On a positive note, the treaty on partnership that was signed yesterday is a standard text that other EU countries signed with China, which means it does not contain any concessions on Taiwan or Tibet. Chinese side tried, the Czech government did not concede.

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