Visiting Czech President Petr Pavel urges democratic leaders to engage more with Taiwan
Petr Pavel has held talks with Anthony Albanese and Defence Minister Richard Marles.
In short:
The Czech Republic's visiting president has encouraged all world leaders to have "dialogue" with Taiwan amid growing threats from Beijing.
Petr Pavel has also warned US president-elect Donald Trump's proposed trade tariffs could hand China a "big advantage".
What's next?
The former NATO military commander predicts Ukraine may soon have to reach a peace settlement with Russia to avoid "many more casualties".
A decorated former NATO military commander who was elected president of Czechia last year has urged world leaders to "get engaged in dialogue" with Taiwan amid growing military threats from China towards the democratic self-ruled island.
In a wide-ranging interview while visiting Canberra, retired General Petr Pavel also criticised Donald Trump's proposed trade tariffs as handing a "big advantage" to Beijing and warned Ukraine was at "the limit" of running a successful counteroffensive against Russia's invasion.
The pro-Western politician is the first president from the Czech Republic to make an official visit to Australia in almost 30 years.
He has held meetings with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Defence Minister Richard Marles.
Shortly after his election win in January last year, Mr Pavel became the first European leader to directly call his Taiwanese counterpart, Tsai Ing-Wen — a move that was strongly criticised by Beijing as "seriously interfering in China's domestic affairs".
"I think it is the role of all democratic leaders to get engaged in dialogue in cooperation because no progress was ever achieved with confrontation," Mr Pavel told the ABC's Afternoon Briefing program during his only interview while in Australia.
"I believe that speaking leader to leader is the only way to overcome the problems between countries."
This week, China's ambassador to Australia Xiao Qian again warned the Albanese government to adhere to the long-standing "One China" policy by respecting Beijing's sovereignty over Taiwan, which it considers its own territory.
Since coming to office, Mr Pavel has also been a leading supporter of Ukraine in its fight against Russia's invasion, but the former NATO military commander has warned time is running out for the war-torn nation.
"We are at the limit now, even if we give Ukraine more equipment, more ammunition — the lack of manpower will limit their capacity to run a successful counteroffensive.
"If we don't want to push Ukraine into many more casualties, we'll most probably have to admit that it will be reasonable to start negotiating, including an idea of temporarily occupied part of Ukraine territory."
The Czech president says any negotiated peace settlement must include setting up conditions for the integration of Ukraine into European structures "as they wished from the very beginning".
Pavel warns against Trump's proposed tariffs
President Pavel formally opens the Czech Republic's new embassy in Canberra.
This week, Petr Pavel became the first world leader to visit Australia since Donald Trump's emphatic election win earlier this month and has criticised the next US president's proposed trade policies and approach to NATO.
"Setting up the barriers to free trade, especially among allies, will not help us in our competition with countries like China — I believe all democratic countries should do the opposite — that means to remove barriers, cooperate much more.
"As we look at China with all of its centralised power, ability to focus resources on the areas where they see strategic interest, it gives them quite a big advantage," Mr Pavel said.
"We can overcome that advantage by combining our own capacities and resources better, that means less protectionism, more cooperation."
During his political career, Donald Trump has repeatedly criticised NATO members for not spending enough on their militaries. While President Pavel agrees all allies need to step up, he says they should not be pressured just to purchase US equipment.
"The United States needs a partner in Europe, a partner that will be grown-up, a partner able to act on its own — and it will not be possible if European countries will be dependent on deliveries of American equipment."
By：ABC(责任编辑：admin)
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