 "China warns UK of diplomatic rift unless PM Starmer backs its claim over Taiwan")
The government of UK’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer has been placed on notice by Beijing, which has delivered an unambiguous warning that the future of diplomatic relations hinges on Britain’s public stance on Taiwan.
According to reports, the Chinese government has directly threatened a severe breakdown of ties, demanding that the United Kingdom formally and unequivocally back Beijing’s claim of sovereignty over Taiwan.
Chinese Ambassador to the UK, Zheng Zeguang, stated that the future of UK-China relations depends entirely on Britain accepting Beijing’s territorial claims. Zheng demanded that the UK formally acknowledge that “Taiwan has never been a country” and that the island “belongs to China.”
The ultimatum says that not backing the “One China” policy or treating Taiwan as independent would harm ties between the two countries.
‘We hope that the UK government will honour the solemn commitments it made in 1972…and handle Taiwan related issues prudently’, Zeguang told The Telegraph.
In response to Zeguang’s comments, former security minister Tom Tugendhat said: “Beijing’s attempts to distort international law, including claims that UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 confers dominion over Taiwan, should be resisted. These are rightly matters for the Taiwanese people to determine. Using economic coercing to force others to submit does not make it legal”.
Taiwan: The core interest
China views the Taiwan issue as a non-negotiable “core interest” and has repeatedly denounced any foreign country that attempts to interfere or suggests Taiwan’s independence is anything other than a domestic matter for China to resolve.
The aggressive diplomatic move follows a period of heightened tension and mixed messaging from London. While the Starmer administration has sought to deepen economic ties with the world’s second-largest economy, a number of recent actions and statements by British officials—particularly regarding military exercises and support for Taipei—have drawn Beijing’s ire.
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