The UK would pressure China to respect freedom of navigation in the Taiwan Strait, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Cameron told the British parliament on Tuesday, adding that London has asked Beijing to hold talks on the matter.
He made the remark during a session at the House of Lords, when British politician David Alton asked him about London’s China deterrence policy, beyond its involvement in the AUKUS security pact between Australia, the UK and the US.
A war over Taiwan would cause US$10 trillion in losses to the global economy, a sum equivalent to 10 percent of the world’s GDP, Alton said, citing Bloomberg Economics.
Photo: AFP
China should join the UK in supporting freedom of navigation, as the two nations are reliant on international trade, Cameron said, adding that this freedom is important in every region of the world, including the Taiwan Strait.
The UK should try to find common ground with China, despite the differences that exist between the two sides and the epoch-defining challenge Beijing poses to British interests, Cameron said.
The UK has shown commitment to upholding freedom of navigation by conductng joint strikes with the US on Houthi forces in the Red Sea, which accounts for 15 percent of global maritime traffic, he said.
In January, a Houthi spokesperson was cited as saying by a Moscow-backed outlet that Houthi forces would not attack Chinese and Russian ships in the region.
Cameron, a former British prime minister, met Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) in December last year, just a month after being tapped as the British foreign secretary in a Cabinet reshuffle by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Separately, the Guardian said in a report yesterday that Cameron is expected to meet Wang this weekend, citing two anonymous government sources.
The meeting would take place on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, the Guardian said.
The British Foreign Office has not confirmed the report, stating only that Cameron would visit Poland and Bulgaria before taking part in the Munich event.
EXPRESSING GRATITUDE: Without its Taiwanese partners which are ‘working around the clock,’ Nvidia could not meet AI demand, CEO Jensen Huang said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and US-based artificial intelligence (AI) chip designer Nvidia Corp have partnered with each other on silicon photonics development, Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) said. Speaking with reporters after he met with TSMC chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) in Taipei on Friday, Huang said his company was working with the world’s largest contract chipmaker on silicon photonics, but admitted it was unlikely for the cooperation to yield results any time soon, and both sides would need several years to achieve concrete outcomes. To have a stake in the silicon photonics supply chain, TSMC and
SILICON VALLEY HUB: The office would showcase Taiwan’s strengths in semiconductors and artificial intelligence, and help Taiwanese start-ups connect with global opportunities Taiwan has established an office in Palo Alto, one of the principal cities of Silicon Valley in California, aimed at helping Taiwanese technology start-ups gain global visibility, the National Development Council said yesterday. The “Startup Island Taiwan Silicon Valley hub” at No. 299 California Avenue is focused on “supporting start-ups and innovators by providing professional consulting, co-working spaces, and community platforms,” the council said in a post on its Web site. The office is the second overseas start-up hub established by the council, after a similar site was set up in Tokyo in September last year. Representatives from Taiwanese start-ups, local businesses and
‘DETERRENT’: US national security adviser-designate Mike Waltz said that he wants to speed up deliveries of weapons purchased by Taiwan to deter threats from China US president-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for US secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, affirmed his commitment to peace in the Taiwan Strait during his confirmation hearing in Washington on Tuesday. Hegseth called China “the most comprehensive and serious challenge to US national security” and said that he would aim to limit Beijing’s expansion in the Indo-Pacific region, Voice of America reported. He would also adhere to long-standing policies to prevent miscalculations, Hegseth added. The US Senate Armed Services Committee hearing was the first for a nominee of Trump’s incoming Cabinet, and questions mostly focused on whether he was fit for the
SHARED VALUES: The US, Taiwan and other allies hope to maintain the cross-strait ‘status quo’ to foster regional prosperity and growth, the former US vice president said Former US vice president Mike Pence yesterday vowed to continue to support US-Taiwan relations, and to defend the security and interests of both countries and the free world. At a meeting with President William Lai (賴清德) at the Presidential Office in Taipei, Pence said that the US and Taiwan enjoy strong and continued friendship based on the shared values of freedom, the rule of law and respect for human rights. Such foundations exceed limitations imposed by geography and culture, said Pence, who is visiting Taiwan for the first time. The US and Taiwan have shared interests, and Americans are increasingly concerned about China’s
RSS