China's embassy in UK urges politicians not to endorse Taiwan event

China's embassy in the United Kingdom reiterated Beijing's position ahead of an "inauguration" on Monday in the Taiwan region, and urged the British side to uphold the one-China principle.

"We urge the UK government to abide by the one-China principle, not to send anyone to Taiwan for the so-called inauguration ceremony, not to allow relevant personnel from Taiwan to visit the UK, and not to have any official contact with Taiwan in any way," Minister Yang Xiaoguang said at a news briefing at the embassy in London on Friday.

Yang briefed members of the Chinese and UK media, including journalists from The Guardian and Sky News, on the one-China principle, which was affirmed in United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758 in 1971 and that states that there is but one China in the world. Taiwan is part of China. And the government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China.

Yang told members of the media that, despite Taiwan having being lost and regained twice in history, first to colonization by the Netherlands in the 17th century and then to occupation by the Japanese during World War II, the island has been an inalienable part of China's territory since ancient times.

"Since 1949, due to the continued civil war in China and the meddling of external forces, the two sides of the Taiwan Strait have fallen into a protracted political confrontation. However, China's sovereignty and territory have never and can never be divided," Yang said.

The 1972 joint communique between China and the UK recognized that Taiwan is a province within the People's Republic of China, and recognized the government of the PRC as the sole legal government of China.

"This part of history should never be forgotten. The Taiwan question is a major matter of principle. The UK must uphold the principle and abide by its own commitment," said Yang, who added that the purpose of the "inauguration" is to sabotage relations between relevant countries and China, expand Taiwan's so-called international space, and advance Taiwan independence separatist activities.

Noting that UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron congratulated Lai Ching-te in January following what was called his victory in leadership elections in Taiwan, Yang said: "We firmly oppose the wrong remarks and actions by British politicians. We must point out that the Taiwan issue is purely China's internal affair … We think that, no matter which party is in a governing position in Taiwan, it has to abide by the 1992 Consensus and oppose Taiwan independence … And we think that compatriots from both sides should join hands together to promote the reunification of the country and to achieve national rejuvenation."