Despite the protests from China, the Czech Republic received a large delegation from Taiwan.

"We are convinced that we will not go wrong if we further develop our cooperation with Taiwan," said the chairman of the Czech Senate, Milos Vystrcil, according to the CTK agency on Monday.

It is a duty to support democratic states in other parts of the world.

A spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Prague expressed his "great dissatisfaction and deepest rejection" in the run-up to the visit.

He spoke of a provocation.

The leadership in Beijing regards Taiwan, with its 23 million inhabitants, as part of China and tries to isolate the island republic internationally.

The group of more than 60 visitors from Taiwan includes entrepreneurs and high-ranking politicians.

Several memoranda were signed on closer cooperation in areas such as internet security, the space industry and mechanical engineering.

Taiwan donated several production lines for corona protective masks to the Czech Republic at the height of the pandemic.

Conversely, Prague sent 30,000 doses of Moderna vaccine to the Taiwanese capital Taipei in the summer.