The British House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee is planning to visit Taiwan later this year — probably in November or early December, sources said on Monday.
The trip — which was originally scheduled for early this year, but was postponed due to one member of the delegation testing positive for COVID-19 — was intended to show the UK’s support for Taiwan, the sources said.
The planned trip comes as London’s relationship with Beijing continues to deteriorate. Last week, both Conservative Party leadership candidates, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs Liz Truss and British Member of Parliament Rishi Sunak, articulated tough positions on China.
Photo: AFP / Roger HARRIS / UK Parliament
China’s ambassador to the UK accused some British politicians of “peddling the fallacy of the so-called China threat” in a video remark.
British lawmaker Tom Tugendhat, who chairs the foreign affairs select committee, is expected to lead the delegation, but as he extended his backing to Truss over the weekend, there was speculation he might be given a Cabinet-level job in the Truss administration if she wins the race next month.
Even if this happened, the trip would go ahead “whoever becomes the next chair,” one source said.
Photo: Reuters
It is unclear whether the British delegation would meet President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文).
Details of the trip are being hammered out, including the exact dates of the visit, sources said.
The move is yet another sign that London is strengthening its ties with Taiwan, as it now regards China as a long-term threat to the UK.
Truss has in the past few months urged Western nations to ensure that Taiwan can protect itself from China.
In June, she said in an interview that the UK should provide Taiwan with weapons.
The Taipei Representative Office in the UK declined to comment on details of the potential visit, but it said that Taiwan “welcomes any opportunities to strengthen its relations with Britain, including through visits from the UK.”
The Foreign Affairs Committee said it “has had a long-standing intention to visit Taiwan, within the context of its inquiry into the tilt to the Indo-Pacific” region.
However, it declined to comment on the details of the visit “due to security concerns and in line with normal practice.”
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