When US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, China’s ambassador to the UK, Zheng Zeguang, today warned British lawmakers not to dance with the US, as visiting Taiwan would face serious consequences.
The Guardian reported on the 1st, citing sources, that the Foreign Affairs Commission may visit Taiwan in November or December. The publication of the report coincided with Nancy Pelosi’s expected visit to Taiwan on the 2nd, and Beijing’s escalation of cultural, offensive and military intimidation has attracted much attention.
Pelosi led a congressional delegation to arrive at Taipei Songshan Airport on the evening of the 2nd. She is the first Speaker of the House of Representatives to visit Taiwan in 25 years after Newt Gingrich, who was then Speaker of the US House of Representatives in 1997, and the highest-ranking US politician.
“The Guardian” reported today (3rd) that Zheng Zeguang said at a press conference that some British politicians promised to “defend Taiwan” and MPs planned to visit Taiwan, both of which seriously violated the “one China principle” and the 1972 The joint communiqué on the exchange of ambassadors between China and the UK in 2008, and “interference in China’s internal affairs”. He warned the British side not to underestimate the sensitivity of the Taiwan issue and not to “play with fire”.
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has called on allies such as NATO members to help ensure Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities, whether supporting potential aggressors or deterring potential aggressors. Must be early. She even said at a foreign affairs committee hearing in late June that Britain must defend “this country”, namely Taiwan.
Truss is currently vying for the leadership of the ruling Conservative Party with former Chancellor Rishi Sunak, who will become Britain’s new prime minister. Sunak, who originally had a relatively moderate stance on neutrality, has also recently moved closer to the “hawks”, pointing out that China is the UK’s biggest security threat in the long run; he also promised to close all Confucius Institutes in the UK after he is elected.
In response to the Conservative Party leadership candidate’s contest over who is “tougher” on China, the Chinese Embassy in the UK pointed out on the 25th that irresponsible remarks by British politicians to talk about China and trumpet toughness against China will only further lead the UK astray. Nevertheless, Zheng Zeguang said today that no matter who becomes the new prime minister, China will be committed to developing Sino-British relations.
In response to Beijing’s sanctions on several British MPs concerned about “sensitive” issues such as the human rights situation in Xinjiang, the British parliament banned Zheng Zeguang from the Houses of Parliament since last September.
The British Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee was scheduled to visit Taiwan in February. However, when the original itinerary was about to start, the Foreign Affairs Committee told the Central News Agency that due to the confirmed diagnosis of several members, the visit to Taiwan had to be postponed, and the Foreign Affairs Committee was rescheduling the schedule. According to the plan at the time, the delegation will visit President Tsai Ing-wen and several senior Taiwanese officials.
According to public information, the last time the British Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee visited Taiwan was in 2006, when former President Chen Shui-bian was in office. At that time, the delegation was also received by Chen Shui-bian.
After the Foreign Affairs Commission was temporarily forced to cancel its February visit to Taiwan, several sources pointed out that the delegation is expected to take place this fall.
The Foreign Affairs Committee told the Central News Agency today that the itinerary for the visit to Taiwan is still under planning;
Tom Tugendhat, chairman of the foreign affairs committee, told a reporter from the Central News Agency in February that the purpose of the visit to Taiwan was to convey that the United Kingdom would firmly defend the democratic values displayed by Taiwan.
In addition, Taiwan is on the front lines of the CCP’s war for influence, and the United Kingdom is also a victim of CCP-related activities; the United Kingdom must understand how to deepen cooperation in order to effectively counter threats to the erosion of liberal democracy.
Tugendhat also ran for the leadership of the Conservative Party this time, but failed to enter the runoff. However, since his performance during his regular political interviews and during the election campaign has been affirmed by voters of different parties, he has a high probability of becoming an official for the first time, which may change the composition of the delegation of the foreign affairs committee. The new prime minister is scheduled to be announced on September 5.
It is worth noting that in February this year, the House of Commons of the British Parliament held a Taiwan-themed debate for the first time in the chamber (the main chamber), when Alicia Kearns, co-chairman of the “China Research Group” (CRG) of the Parliament at that time ) and others have called for an enhanced exchange of high-level official visits between Britain and Taiwan, including a visit to Taiwan by cabinet officials who can represent the entire government. Tugendhat is also currently the CRG co-chair. (Central News Agency)
Pelosi arrived in Taiwan at 10 p.m. on the 2nd. Associated Press
