UK (Parliament Politic Magazine) – The U.K. Parliament has done something new and surprising. They said that Taiwan is a “country on its own.” This came from a group in the House of Commons that deals with foreign affairs. It happened while a top British official, James Cleverly, visited China. This is the first time a senior British envoy went to China in five years, and the two countries are not getting along well. The report says that Taiwan, which is also called the Republic of China, is definitely its own independent nation. Even though it acts like a country, not many other countries officially say it is one.
Alicia Kearns Talks About Leading the Group
A member of the Conservative Party, Alicia Kearns, who leads the group, said this is the first time they’ve said something like this in an official report. She said that they don’t agree with China, even though they know what China thinks. She thinks the British foreign secretary should strongly support Taiwan and say they have the right to make their own choices.
Kearns also thinks this is important because it shows that being in control of your own country shouldn’t be forced by being mean or scary. China reacted just like people thought they would. Someone from their foreign office said the U.K. needs to follow the “one China” rule and stop supporting Taiwan’s independence.
On the other hand, Taiwan’s foreign office was happy and thanked the British Parliament for supporting them and how they’re seen in the world. The report also criticized the British government for not doing enough to support Taiwan. It said the U.K. should be stronger in dealing with China’s tough attitude towards Taiwan, especially because Taiwan makes important computer parts. The group thinks the U.K. can have good relations with Taiwan and not upset China too much. They said the U.S. and Japan have managed to do that.
Tough Against China’s Strong Action
The report also asked the British government to be open about its plans with China and to be tougher against China’s strong actions in the U.K. In the end, Kearns said that protecting yourself doesn’t always mean making things worse, and she encouraged staying strong against unfair treatment from other countries. Meanwhile, the government led by Rishi Sunak is being careful. They see China as a big challenge, but not exactly a threat.
The trip is the United Kingdom’s foreign secretary’s first visit to China in more than five years. This shows that the relationship between the two countries has not been good lately because of problems. One problem is China’s control over people’s freedoms in Hong Kong, which used to be owned by the UK. Another problem is how China treats a group of Muslim people in Xinjiang. China also supports Russia, and the UK is very close friends with the United States when it comes to security.
The UK foreign secretary, Cleverly, met Vice President Han Zheng first. Han Zheng said that this visit will make the relationship between the two countries better and stable. Later, Cleverly will meet with Wang Yi, who is in charge of foreign affairs in China’s ruling Communist Party. Wang Yi is also China’s foreign minister.
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China Wants British to Cooperate with Them
On Tuesday, a person from China’s Foreign Ministry named Wang Wenbin said that China wants the people from Britain to cooperate with them. They want both countries to treat each other with respect, learn more about each other, and make the relationship between China and Britain better.
Cleverly, who is from Britain, has mentioned that he will talk about concerns related to places called Xinjiang and Hong Kong. He will also likely emphasize that when China has an impact on the world, they should be responsible. This means helping to stop Russia from invading Ukraine and making the situation calmer in the South China Sea, where there are disagreements between countries.
British leader Rishi Sunak wants to have a careful and peaceful way of dealing with China. He thinks that China is becoming a challenge to what Britain believes in and its interests. But he also thinks it’s important to keep a connection with China because it’s a very strong and important country in Asia.