LONDON: China has expressed its objections to the United Kingdom’s endeavors to strengthen relations with Taiwan following a significant diplomatic event in London and the inking of a new trade agreement between Britain and the island nation.
On Wednesday, Taiwan and Britain, despite the absence of official diplomatic ties, signed an Enhanced Trade Partnership, marking a milestone in their cooperative efforts. Furthermore, the British Trade Minister, Nigel Huddleston, conducted talks with Taiwan’s Deputy Economy Minister, Chen Chern-Chyi, during the event held in London.
In response to these developments, China’s embassy in London issued a statement emphasizing its firm stance against any form of official interaction between nations maintaining diplomatic relations with China and Taiwan, which China regards as its own territory.
UK 🇬🇧 – 🇹🇼 Taiwan Sign Trade Agreement
The UK and Taiwan have today signed an Enhanced Trade Partnership (ETP) agreement, aimed at boosting long-term trade partnership and help promote Taiwan's inclusion into the #CPTPP trade bloc.#UKTradehttps://t.co/F28GBCkcg1
— Gully Foyle #UKTrade (@TerraOrBust) November 8, 2023
The statement went on to call upon the UK to uphold the one-China principle and cease employing trade collaboration as a pretext for engaging in official exchanges or enhancing substantive relations with Taiwan.
While both Britain and Taiwan maintain unofficial representative offices in each other’s capitals, London does not formally recognize Taiwan’s democratically elected government. Nevertheless, Taiwan perceives Britain as a crucial democratic ally, given its concerns about escalating Chinese military activities near the island. Additionally, Taiwan looks to London for support in its endeavors to participate in global organizations such as the World Health Organization.
Last year, Britain granted approval for a substantial increase in the export of submarine components and technology to Taiwan as part of the island’s efforts to modernize its naval capabilities.
Taiwan, recognized as a significant player in the global semiconductor industry, has few formal foreign trade agreements due to diplomatic isolation and consistent pressure from China. However, it is a member of the World Trade Organization and has free trade accords in place with Singapore and New Zealand.
