An online petition titled “Recognise Taiwan as a country” that was launched by a British citizen on Monday had garnered the support of nearly 9,340 people as of press time last night.
The petition, posted on the British parliament’s Web site, said that due to its “one China” policy, Britain does not recognize the government of the Republic of China (ROC) and that all diplomatic relations between the two countries take place on an unofficial basis.
“It’s time to change this. Taiwan is an independent country,” yet China states that Taiwan is just another part of China, and most countries in the world do not recognize Taiwan because they do not want to upset China, the petition said.
“Taiwan maintains the Taipei Representative Office in the UK in London with a branch office in Edinburgh, while the United Kingdom maintains the British Office Taipei in Taipei. This is ridiculous and must change,” the petition said.
The British government vows to respond to all petitions that garner 10,000 signatures.
At 100,000 signatures, a petition is considered for debate in parliament, according to British law.
The British government recognized the ROC as “the sole government of China” before shifting its diplomatic recognition from the ROC to the People’s Republic of China in 1950.
Reactions to the petition from Taiwanese netizens were mixed, with some expressing reservations, saying they doubted whether Taiwan’s government would dare to formally declare independence and whether the British government would show support for Taiwan by provoking China.
Others expressed support for the petition, saying that it was good to draw attention to the issue.
According to British law, only British citizens and residents are allowed to sign the petition and have to provide their personal information, such as a name, e-mail address and post code.
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