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China's embassy in the United Kingdom, on Sunday (Local Time), condemned the visit of the British delegation to Taiwan and said that this was a "flagrant violation of the one-China principle" and interference in their country's internal matters.
In a statement, Chinese ambassador to Britain Zheng Zeguang said, "In disregard of China's firm opposition, relevant members of the UK Parliament went ahead to visit the Taiwan region of China. This is a flagrant violation of the one-China principle and blatant interference in China's internal affairs which sends a grossly wrong signal to the separatist forces for "Taiwan independence". China strongly condemns this." He further stated that Taiwan is part of China's territory, and the discussion on Taipei is purely China's internal affair. "The one-China principle is a recognized basic norm of international relations and a universal consensus of the international community. It is also the political foundation for the establishment and development of diplomatic relations between China and the UK," the statement added. The Chinese ambassador urged the UK to abide by the basic norms governing international relations and stop any action that violates the one-China principle and interferes with China's internal affairs. Zheng also stated that he wanted to make this clear to the relevant British politicians: any actions that undermine China's interests will be met with its resolute countermeasures. Meanwhile, Taiwan welcomed the delegations of the British on Sunday. British lawmaker Bob Stewart, who co-chairs the British-Taiwanese All-Party Parliamentary Group, is leading the British delegation of cross-party legislators until Friday, the ministry said in a news release. The delegation, which is in Taiwan at the government's invitation, comprises British lawmakers Sarah Atherton, Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, Afzal Khan, Marie Rimmer, and Rob Butler, the other cochair of the UK-Taiwan parliamentary group, the ministry said, according to Taipei Times. The group is to meet with President Tsai Ing-wen, Premier Chen Chien-ren, and National Security Council Secretary-General Wellington Koo, and attend banquets hosted by Legislative Yuan Speaker You Si-kun and Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu, it said. Stewart, who is on his second trip to Taiwan, has since become the group's cochair in 2021 shown strong support for the nation, including leading discussions about Taiwanese-British friendship and cooperation in February last year, the ministry said. (ANI)
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