Speaking at a press conference in London, the Chinese ambassador, Zheng Zeguang, who has been on the parliament’s sanctions list since last summer, also reminded the British government of the joint communiqué the two countries signed in 1972 when they began exchanging ambassadors. Zheng’s comment came as US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi began her controversial visit to Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its sovereignty. Pelosi said her visit was to show solidarity with the vibrant Asian democracy, but in response, Beijing issued a series of warnings and threats. China’s defense ministry said on Tuesday that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) was put on “high alert” and announced a series of targeted military operations, including missile tests in waters east of Taiwan and drills surrounding the main island for four days. , shortly after Pelosi left this week. Tensions between China and some Western nations – including the UK – over Taiwan have risen in recent years. The Chinese envoy said the pledge by some British politicians to “defend Taiwan” and plans by MPs to visit the island would be a “serious violation of the principle of one China and [Sino-UK] joint communiqué”. Zheng said: “It is … the interference in China’s internal affairs that will inevitably lead to serious consequences in China-UK relations. We call on the UK side to adhere to the joint communiqué… and not to underestimate the extreme sensitivity of the Taiwan issue and not to follow in the US’s footsteps.” “As I said, those who play with fire will get burned,” Zeng added, echoing the warning of his president, Xi Jinping, who last week also delivered the same line to his American counterpart, Joe Biden, during the fifth phone call. contact them. The Guardian reported on Monday that Britain’s House of Commons foreign affairs committee is planning a visit to Taiwan later this year – likely in November or early December. Subscribe to First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7am. BST Responding to statements about China made by Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, the two Conservative leadership candidates, in recent weeks, Zheng urged British politicians to “stop making up stories” and “be realistic” about fundamental elements of bilateral relations. The Chinese ambassador also said that “the nature of the Taiwan issue is completely different from Ukraine” and that talk of “disengagement” between the Chinese and British economies is “self-defeating” and will ultimately “undermine its interests [British] consumers’ amid soaring inflation and the ongoing cost-of-living crisis. But the veteran diplomat was careful to take personal aim at the two candidates. “We will work with whoever becomes the new prime minister to develop the China-UK relationship,” he said.
