Czech senator defies China, delivers Taiwan speech

Defying anger from China, Czech Republic's senate president dressed Taiwan's legislature Tuesday, offering a strong rebuke to authoritarian politics and Beijing's increasingly aggressive foreign policy.

Milos Vystrcil ended his speech that underscored shared democratic values by proclaiming in Mandarin "I am Taiwanese," a throwback to former United States President John F. Kennedy's famed 1963 anti-communist speech in a n-divided Berlin in which he declared he was a Berliner. .

Vystrcil directly referenced Kennedy's "Ich bin en Berliner" speech, and emphasized democratic freedoms embraced since Czech Republic threw off communist rule at end of Cold War and Taiwan emerged from martial law at end of 1980s.

"In 1963, American president JFK, in his famous speech 'I'm a Berliner', clearly opposed communism and political oppression and supported people of west Berlin," Vystrcil said. "He said 'Freedom is indivisible, and when one man is enslaved, all are t free."

"Please let me use same manner to express my support to people of Taiwan, I'm a Taiwanese," he said, speaking last phrase in Mandarin.

Beijing is furious about Czech delegation's visit, with foreign ministry summoning Czech Republic's ambassor in country to lodge stern representations on Monday, saying visit amounted to "flagrant support of Taiwan independence."

China claims Taiwan as its own territory and strongly objects to any official contact between its diplomatic allies and self-governing island republic

Vystrcil's visit follows a spat last year between Beijing and city of Prague in Republic.

two capital cities ended a sister-cities agreement because Beijing has wanted Prague to agree to "One China" principle, which is China's stance that Taiwan is a part of its territory.

visit is also in direct opposition to Czech President, Milos Zeman, who has taken strongly pro-China views.

Vystrcil is due to meet Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen later this week.

Amid China's campaign of diplomatic isolation and military threats, Taiwan has been blocked from participating in major international forums and w has just 15 formal allies.

Despite lack of official ties, U.S. remains Taiwan's closest partner and source of defensive weaponry to counter China's threat to bring island under its control by military means.