The UK government has responded to an online petition calling for the UK to “Recognise Taiwan as a country."
The petition was submitted to the UK Government and Parliament’s petitions website. The government response on Thursday reiterated the UK’s adherence to the One-China policy. The response cited the 1972 UK-China joint communique, under which the UK accepted the Chinese position on Taiwan.
The response also expressed the UK government’s hope for a peaceful resolution of the “Taiwan issue”. It encouraged British businesses to “take advantage of Taiwan’s thriving economy, favourable business environment and close trade and investment links with the wider region.”
On Friday, Taiwan’s representative to the UK, Liu Chih-kung, said that the Republic of China is a sovereign, independent nation. He said that the UK government’s statement does not take away from this fact. However, Liu said that the statement is a reiteration of the UK’s longstanding China policy, and does not represent any new developments.
Meanwhile, Premier Chang San-cheng said that Taiwan’s unofficial relationship with the UK produces concrete results such as visa-waiver agreements and industrial cooperation. Chang said that given Taiwan’s difficult position on the world stage, these concrete results are more important than formalities.