Chinese embassy urges UK to stop 'playing with fire' on Taiwan question

The Chinese embassy in the United Kingdom on Saturday urged some of the politicians in the UK to stop "playing with fire" on the Taiwan question and refrain from engaging in anti-China manipulation or interfering in China's internal affairs.

The Grand Committee of the House of Lords of the UK held a debate on "support for democracy in Taiwan" on March 3, during which some members referred to China's Taiwan region as "the Ukraine of the Far East" and advocated stronger "support" for and "protection" of Taiwan from the UK government.

China "firmly opposes and strongly condemns" these moves, a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy said in a statement released late Saturday.

"Making such a comparison between the Taiwan question and the Ukraine issue, and advocating stronger support for and protection of Taiwan lay bare the total ignorance of certain UK politicians on history and the current situation as well as their presumptuous and sinister intention to undermine China's unity," read the statement.

Noting that there is but one China in the world and Taiwan is an inseparable part of it, the spokesperson said the one-China principle is the extensive consensus of the international community and a widely recognized norm governing international relations.

It is also the important premise and political foundation for the establishment and development of diplomatic relations between China and all countries in the world, including the UK, said the spokesperson.

The Taiwan question, which is purely China's internal affairs, bears on China's core interests and brooks no external interference, said the spokesperson.

"No one should underestimate the strong determination, resolve and capability of the Chinese people in safeguarding the nation's sovereignty and territorial integrity," said the spokesperson.

"We also urge the UK to abide by the one-China principle, avoid sending any wrong signal to the secessionist forces clamoring for 'Taiwan independence', and handle Taiwan-related issues in a discreet and appropriate manner."