Czech military intelligence has revealed that Chinese diplomats and military attachés closely followed Taiwan’s vice-president-elect Hsiao Bi-khim during her visit to Prague in March 2024, allegedly planning a staged collision to intimidate her convoy.
According to a report by Czech Radio and confirmed by Reuters on 27 June 2025, Chinese officials discussed creating a “demonstrative action” to simulate a crash with Hsiao’s motorcade, ultimately aimed at causing fear without direct physical harm.
Although the plan was not executed, a Chinese embassy vehicle did tail Hsiao’s convoy, ran a red light, and nearly caused an accident in central Prague. The incident highlighted Beijing’s increasingly aggressive tactics against Taiwanese representatives abroad.
Czech authorities reportedly summoned the Chinese ambassador to protest the incident, describing it as a serious breach of diplomatic conduct. Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council also condemned the act and urged Beijing to apologise formally, calling the plan “an outrageous threat to the safety of Taiwanese officials.”
Hsiao was visiting Prague as vice-president-elect ahead of her official inauguration in May 2024. The trip was intended to strengthen ties between Taiwan and the Czech Republic, a country that has become increasingly vocal in its support for Taiwan in recent years.
Meanwhile, in Taiwan, domestic political controversy has further inflamed tensions. Former Taiwan Statebuilding Party Kaohsiung City branch executive director Yang Pei-hua on 27 June accused the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) of indirectly aiding external threats through a proposed legislative amendment.
The amendment, submitted by KMT legislator Lo Chih-chiang in April 2024 and supported by lawmakers including Taiwan People’s Party caucus convener Huang Kuo-chang and independent legislator Kao Chin Sumei, seeks to revise articles 29 and 64 of the Presidential and Vice-Presidential Election and Recall Act.
Under the current law, if a vice-president-elect dies after registration but before inauguration, the president-elect still assumes office. The proposed change would require a new election if the vice-president-elect were to die in this period, effectively nullifying the president-elect’s victory.
Yang claimed that this change exposes the president-elect to vulnerability through threats to the vice-president-elect, arguing that it creates an opportunity for external actors, such as Beijing, to interfere with Taiwan’s democratic process.
“This is not just an amendment. It turns the vice-president’s safety into a tool to undermine the president’s mandate,” Yang wrote in a Facebook post. “If this is not inside-outside collusion, then what is?”
Lo Chih-chiang’s office, through his chief of staff Chen Guan-an, rejected the criticism, calling it “slander and fabrication by pro-Green camp factions.”
Chen emphasised that the amendment targets vice-presidential candidates and has no connection to Hsiao Bi-khim, who had already been elected at the time. He clarified that the proposal did not originate from Lo himself but was based on a petition submitted by former Vice President Annette Lu on the 20th anniversary of the 319 shooting incident.
As the current law does not specify how to handle a situation where a vice-presidential candidate dies after registration but before the election, Lo accepted Lu’s petition and promised to advance the amendment. Chen criticised the ruling party’s affiliated groups for distorting this legislative effort to discredit Lo and misrepresent his intentions.
The proposed amendment was submitted to the Legislative Yuan’s Internal Administration Committee on 12 April 2024 and remains under review.
Proponents argue that it addresses legal gaps concerning electoral legitimacy, especially if a vice-presidential candidate dies before taking office. However, critics warn that such changes may destabilise Taiwan’s electoral system and embolden external actors to target Taiwanese politicians.
Veteran Japanese commentator Akio Yaita weighed in, describing the timing of the KMT’s amendment proposal as “deeply chilling” when viewed alongside the Prague incident.
In a social media post, Yaita highlighted that if the proposed changes passed, the death of a vice-presidential candidate could halt an entire election, effectively creating new vulnerabilities.
He argued that such a revision could expand the scope of potential attacks from targeting only presidential candidates to also including vice-presidential candidates, thereby doubling the risk.
While Yaita acknowledged there is no direct evidence linking the KMT’s proposal to Beijing, he said it is “reasonable to suspect” possible coordination, echoing concerns previously voiced by Yang Pei-hua about potential “inside-outside collusion.”
China has denied any wrongdoing, accusing the Czech Republic of interfering in its internal affairs. The Chinese embassy in Prague has not provided detailed comments on the allegations regarding the staged collision plan.
The Hsiao incident in Prague and the legislative controversy have intensified discussions on Taiwan’s national security and the risks of hybrid threats from Beijing.
In March 2025, President Lai Ching-te warned that China had intensified infiltration efforts against Taiwan, prompting renewed discussions on strengthening security and legal safeguards
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