‘Gross interference’: China slams British lawmakers’ trip to Taiwan

ISTANBUL (AA) – China has slammed the visit of a British lawmakers group to Taiwan, calling it “gross interference” in its internal affairs.

“In disregard of China’s firm opposition the relevant UK MPs went ahead with their visit to the ‘Taiwan region’ of China,” said a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in the UK.

A delegation led by ruling Conservative Party MP Alicia Kearns reached Taiwan on Tuesday for a five-day visit.

The Chinese Embassy in London condemned the visit and lodged a protest with the UK, saying “this is a flagrant violation of the one-China principle and a gross interference in China’s internal affairs, and it sends a seriously wrong signal to the separatist forces for ‘Taiwan independence’.”

It said Taiwan is “an inalienable part of China’s territory, and the Taiwan question 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 basis for the establishment and development of diplomatic relations between China and the UK,” the embassy said.

London’s relations with Beijing are under strain. An expected meeting between President Xi Jinping and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, last month was canceled.

Sunak, early this week, in his debut foreign policy statement said the “golden era of UK-China relations was over.”

He said Beijing posed a “systemic challenge to our values and interests” which is “growing more acute.”

On the trip to Taiwan, a nation of around 24 million people that has insisted on its independence since 1949, the Chinese Embassy said Beijing “urges the UK side to abide by its commitment, stop any actions that violate the one-China principle, and stop interfering in China’s internal affairs.”