Taiwan is winning a friendly voice in Central Europe, as Prague's former mayor plans another visit and openly ranks Taiwan above China as a partner — good news for Taipei's push for European ties, bad news for Beijing.

• Zdeněk Hřib, who ran Prague from 2018 to 2023 and now leads the Czech Pirate Party, says Taiwan is a far more reliable partner than China.
• His proof: Beijing promised Prague pandas and never delivered, while Taipei sent pangolins that went on to breed successfully at Prague Zoo.
• Under him Prague dropped its Beijing ties and became a sister city to Taipei, opening the door to business deals too.
• He calls Taiwan an important source of investment for the Czech Republic, not just a cultural friend.
• His link to Taiwan goes back to a student exchange in 2005, when he trained at a hospital near Taipei.

Outlook: He expects to visit Taiwan again in November, keeping Czech-Taiwan ties warm and Beijing irritated.