The British Parliament has passed a motion rejecting the Chinese Communist Party’s sovereignty claims over Taiwan and clearly supporting Taiwan’s rights to participate in international organizations. The UK Parliament is pressuring the United Nations, emphasizing that the UN should not yield to pressure from the Chinese Communist Party and exclude this democratic country.
On Thursday, the UK House of Commons passed a resolution rejecting the Chinese Communist Party’s sovereignty claims over Taiwan and urging the UK government to strengthen its support for Taiwan.
Prior to this, governments or legislative bodies of countries including the United States, Australia, the Netherlands, Canada, the European Union, and some smaller countries have also issued similar statements rejecting Beijing’s distorted interpretation of UN Resolution 2758.
The resolution acknowledges the People’s Republic of China as the “sole legal representative of China at the United Nations.” However, the Chinese Communist Party further claims that the resolution “confirms” Beijing’s “One China principle,” with Taiwan being an “indivisible” part of China.
The motion was proposed by Labour Party MP Blair McDougall, clarifying that Resolution 2758 does not determine Taiwan’s political status, does not confirm China’s sovereignty over Taiwan, and does not make any statements regarding Taiwan’s participation in the UN and its organizations.
The motion also requires the UK government to clarify its position, stating that Resolution 2758 “did not establish the ‘One China principle’ as part of international law.”
While Taiwan has recently faced some diplomatic setbacks, the backlash against China’s use of Resolution 2758 to exclude Taiwan from the UN and other organizations indicates that Taiwan’s international support is rapidly increasing.
Even countries such as Belgium, Lithuania, and Poland that do not have formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan have recently hosted Taiwan’s Foreign Minister, Joseph Wu. Some European countries and Canada have also hosted former President Tsai Ing-wen. Taiwan also recently established its third representative office in India.
Luke de Pulford, Executive Director of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), a prominent political figure in the UK, stated, “People around the world are fed up with Beijing’s attempts to rewrite history, and this is just the beginning.”
De Pulford told Nikkei Asia, “From Australia to Japan, from Latin America to Africa and Europe, lawmakers in various countries have realized that Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping wants to reshape the international system in his image, and they do not like that attempt.”
“We must be prepared for more actions like this to defend the international standards on which our survival depends,” he said.
Under the leadership of the former Conservative government, the UK became the first European country to sign a trade partnership agreement with Taiwan last year. Earlier this month, UK officials visited Taipei for a new round of trade negotiations.
The House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee (FAC) released a report last year showing strong support for Taiwan, describing China as a “threat to the UK and its interests” and calling for “deterrence diplomacy” to “protect the self-determination of the Taiwanese people.”
However, the new UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer expressed willingness to establish a friendlier relationship with China and was reluctant to publicly show disagreement.
Starmer refused to publicly condemn China for imprisoning 45 pro-democracy activists from Hong Kong, but he stated that he had a “frank” discussion on the Hong Kong issue with Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping at a G20 summit.
Former British representative to Taiwan Michael Reilly pointed out that the focus of the motion initiators should be on UN officials, as they have long been too compliant in accepting the Chinese Communist Party’s interpretation of Resolution 2758 without questioning or rebutting it.
Lord David Alton, a British Parliament member, expressed, “It is heartening to see those who believe in democracy, rule of law, human rights, and self-determination stand together in solidarity with Taiwan. The 23 million people of Taiwan deserve equal treatment.”