China’s UK ambassador Zheng Zeguang vowed “severe consequences” if British lawmakers visit Taiwan, the Guardian reported on Tuesday.
Visits would interfere in China’s internal affairs and would lead to severe consequences in China-UK relations, Zheng said at a news conference in London, the report said.
“We call on the UK side to abide by the Sino-UK joint communique and not to underestimate the extreme sensitivity of the Taiwan issue, and not to follow the US’s footsteps,” the Guardian quoted Zheng as saying.
Zheng’s comments came after the Guardian reported on Monday that Britain’s House of Commons’ Foreign Affairs Committee is planning a visit to Taiwan probably in November or early December this year.
Taiwan faces mounting pressure from China, which considers the democratically governed island its own territory.
Separately, tensions have escalated in the Taiwan Strait after the US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived in the Chinese-claimed self-ruled island late on Tuesday, a move that China condemned as a threat to peace and stability.
The committee did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment regarding Zheng’s statement. Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry office could not immediately be reached.
The reports come following a deteriorating relationship between China and Britain, with UK leadership candidates Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak demonstrating their tough stance on China as they race to replace Boris Johnson as Britain’s next prime minister.
Responding to remarks about China by Sunak and Truss, Zheng urged British politicians to “be realistic” about the fundamentals of bilateral relations, the Guardian reported.
Chinese ambassador warns British lawmakers against Taiwan visit: report
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Chinese ambassador warns British lawmakers against Taiwan visit: report
- Taiwan faces mounting pressure from China, which considers the democratically governed island its own territory
Trump discussing how to acquire Greenland; US military always an option, White House says
- Greenland has repeatedly said it does not want to be part of the United States
- Strong statements in support of Greenland from NATO leaders have not deterred Trump
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump and his team are discussing options for acquiring Greenland and the use of the US military in furtherance of the goal is “always an option,” the White House said on Tuesday.
Trump’s ambition of acquiring Greenland as a strategic US hub in the Arctic, where there is growing interest from Russia and China, has been revived in recent days in the wake of the US arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Greenland has repeatedly said it does not want to be part of the United States.
The White House said in a statement in response to queries from Reuters that Trump sees acquiring Greenland as a US national security priority necessary to “deter our adversaries in the Arctic region.”
“The president and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilizing the US military is always an option at the commander-in-chief’s disposal,” the White House said.
A senior US official said discussions about ways to acquire Greenland are active in the Oval Office and that advisers are discussing a variety of options.
Strong statements in support of Greenland from NATO leaders have not deterred Trump, the official said.
“It’s not going away,” the official said about the president’s drive to acquire Greenland during his remaining three years in office.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said options include the outright US purchase of Greenland or forming a Compact of Free Association with the territory. A COFA agreement would stop short of Trump’s ambition to make the island of 57,000 people a part of the US.
A potential purchase price was not provided.
“Diplomacy is always the president’s first option with anything, and dealmaking. He loves deals. So if a good deal can be struck to acquire Greenland, that would definitely be his first instinct,” the official said.
Administration officials argue the island is crucial to the US due to its deposits of minerals with important high-tech and military applications. These resources remain untapped due to labor shortages, scarce infrastructure and other challenges.
Leaders from major European powers and Canada rallied behind Greenland on Tuesday, saying the Arctic island belongs to its people.
