TAIPEI/PRAGUE, June 8 (Reuters) - Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu will make a previously unannounced visit to Europe next week, four sources briefed on the matter said, and is expected to appear with the Czech president at one event in a diplomatic breakthrough.
Taiwan, which is claimed by China, has no formal diplomatic ties with any European country except the Vatican.
Taiwan's foreign ministry declined to comment on Wu's Europe travel plans.
In January, then-Czech President-elect Pavel and Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen spoke by telephone shortly after his election, in a diplomatic coup for Taiwan that infuriated China.
Beijing views Taiwan as being part of "one China" and demands other countries recognise its sovereignty claims, which Taiwan's democratically-elected government rejects.
Persons:
Joseph Wu, Wu, Petr Pavel, Zdenek Hrib, Pavel, Tsai Ing, Ben Blanchard, Robert Muller, Ryan Woo, Andrew Gray, Angus MacSwan
Organizations:
Taiwan Foreign, European Union, Service, Prague, Copenhagen Democracy Summit, Thomson
Locations:
TAIPEI, PRAGUE, Europe, Czech, Taiwan, China, Vatican, Beijing, Central, Eastern, Ukraine, Brussels, Prague, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bratislava, Copenhagen, Denmark, Vilnius, Lithuania