PRAGUE: The Czech foreign ministry said Monday it had summoned the Chinese envoy to Prague after Beijing threatened an opposition politician currently on a visit to Taiwan.

A delegation led by Czech Senate speaker Milos Vystrcil arrived in Taipei on Sunday, angering China which is trying to keep the island isolated from the rest of the world.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Monday that China would make Vystrcil "pay a high price for his short-sighted behaviour and political speculation", calling the journey a "provocation".

The Czech foreign ministry then said on its website that deputy minister Martin Tlapa had summoned the ambassador, expressing "fundamental disapproval" of the statement.

Czech Foreign Minister Tomas Petricek said earlier on Monday he expected China to explain Yi's words.

"Of course the journey has an impact on our relationships with China, but I think this has gone too far," he told journalists.