UK summons Chinese ambassador over Taiwan aggression

The UK government has said Foreign Secretary Liz Truss instructed her junior minister to summon China’s ambassador to the UK over Beijing’s “aggressive behaviour” towards Taiwan and urged the country to resolve differences by peaceful means.

On Wednesday, the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO) said that Second Permanent Under-Secretary Sir Tim Barrow summoned Zheng Zeguang over Beijing’s “wide-ranging escalation” against Taiwan over the last week in response to Speaker Pelosi’s visit on August 2.

“The UK and partners have condemned in the strongest terms China’s escalation in the region around Taiwan, as seen through our recent G7 statement,” Truss said.

“I instructed officials to summon the Chinese Ambassador to explain his country’s actions. We have seen increasingly aggressive behaviour and rhetoric from Beijing in recent months, which threaten peace and stability in the region,” she said.

“The United Kingdom urges China to resolve any differences by peaceful means, without the threat or use of force or coercion,” she added.

Following the meeting, a Chinese report quoted Zheng Zeguang as saying that his government’s actions were provoked by the US “in collusion with the ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces”.

China’s ruling Communist party has long claimed Taiwan’s sovereignty. Beijing insists its “one-China principle” would bar most incumbent foreign government officials from setting foot on the island. Zheng last week also warned senior British parliamentarians against visiting Taiwan.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)