The UK highlighted the importance of regional stability in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait in a national security policy paper published yesterday, while saying that the “Taiwan issue” should be resolved peacefully.
“The centrality of the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait to global trade and supply chains underscores the importance to the UK of regional stability,” the policy paper said.
Titled “National Security Strategy 2025: Security for the British People in a Dangerous World,” the paper said that “there is a particular risk of escalation around Taiwan.”
Photo: Screen grab from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's X account
“It is the UK’s position that the Taiwan issue should be resolved peacefully by the people on both sides of the Strait through constructive dialogue, without the threat or use of force or coercion,” the paper said.
“We do not support any unilateral attempts to change the status quo,” it added.
The UK would continue to reinforce ties with Taiwan “in a wide range of areas” as a part of a “strong unofficial relationship” founded on shared democratic values, the paper said.
Taiwan was mentioned four times in the 50-page national security paper, all within one section.
The UK’s position on Taiwan has not fundamentally changed over the past five years, but the paper shows that it is increasingly concerned over rising tensions in the Taiwan Strait.
UK Secretary of State for Defence John Healey on April 22 told a parliamentary session that peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region are not only crucial for countries within the region, but also for the UK.
Any “discussion on the future of Taiwan is necessarily one to be conducted by peaceful negotiation rather than by threats and conflict,” Healey said.
The UK hopes China will recognize that it is deeply concerned about security, peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, he added.
London reaffirmed in the policy paper that the security of the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions are indivisible — a principle shared by NATO and other allies.
The likelihood of a conflict in the Indo-Pacific region is increasing and China’s actions continue to threaten international security, the paper said.
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