Czech intelligence officials revealed that Chinese agents operating out of the Beijing embassy in Prague planned a staged car crash targeting Taiwan’s Vice President Hsiao Bi-Khim during her visit to Prague last year
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Amid the brewing tensions between
China and Taiwan
, Czech authorities revealed that Chinese agents operating out of the Beijing embassy in Prague planned a staged car crash targeting Taiwan’s Vice President Hsiao Bi-Khim. The Czech Republic’s military intelligence chief called it a plot to intimidate Taiwan’s vice president during her visit to Prague last year.
The intelligence chief went on to call the revelation “unprecedented” by
China in Europe
. Citing Czech military intelligence, the country’s public broadcaster, Czech Radio, reported that Chinese agents plotted a “demonstrative kinetic action” targeting Hsiao during her March 2024 visit to Prague.
This was the Taiwanese Vice President’s first visit abroad since her and President
Lai Ching-te’s election victory
. Agency Director Petr Bartovský told Czech Radio that the Chinese plan involved staging a collision with the car carrying Hsiao. Bartovský made it clear that the attempt “did not go beyond the planning stage.”
A red light that led to the revelation
The intelligence report noted that the Chinese diplomat ran a red light in central Prague while trying to maintain surveillance over the Taiwanese delegation. Military intelligence spokesperson Jan Pejšek emphasised that China’s actions were almost
endangering Hsiao and her team
.
She noted that the Chinese officials had been “gathering information about her schedule and attempting to document her meetings with prominent figures from the Czech political and public spheres. The officials concluded that the vice president was not considered to be in real danger; however, Czech security forces were present and ready to intervene if necessary.
Emphasising the sensitivity of the information, Czech Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mariana Wernerová declined to provide more details on the matter. However, she confirmed that the Czech authorities had communicated their concerns to Beijing about the events.
Taiwan reacts
Meanwhile, Taiwan’s Presidential Office Spokesperson Karen Kuo condemned China’s plot and thanked the Czech authorities. Kuo said that Taiwanese security was aware of the intelligence at the time, Focus Taiwan reported.
Kuang-ting Chen, a lawmaker in Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan, took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to condemn China’s action. “Hiding behind diplomatic immunity to interfere with another nation’s sovereignty and endanger personal safety is a flagrant violation of international law. This incident once again exposes Beijing’s export of authoritarianism and pattern of transnational repression,” China wrote on X.
As a Taiwanese parliamentarian, I condemn in the strongest possible terms the egregious conduct of the Chinese diplomat in Prague who tailed, surveilled, and even attempted to ram the vehicle carrying then Vice President–elect Hsiao Bi-khim.
Hiding behind diplomatic immunity to…
— 🇹🇼陳冠廷 Kuan-Ting Chen (@kuantingvision) June 26, 2025
It is pertinent to note that China claims Taiwan, formally known as the Republic of China, as its territory. However, the island has never been governed by the Chinese Communist Party. Taiwan functions as a de facto sovereign state, with its legal system, military and international relations.
China has often pressured other nations not to engage with the Taiwanese delegation. In 2022, China temporarily blocked trade with Lithuania after the Baltic nation allowed Taiwan to open a representative office using the name “Taiwan.” China argued that recognising Taiwan challenges its “One China” policy.
