British Minister To Meet Taiwan President, China Urges Official Contact To Be Terminated

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian. (Twitter/@zlj517)

JAKARTA - China has urged Britain to stop making official contact with Taiwan, including to stop sending false signals about the country's independence, when a London minister is rumored to be meeting Taipei's leader.

A British minister will visit Taiwan this week for trade talks and meet President Tsai Ing-wen, his office said on Monday.

China views democratically-ruled Taiwan as its own territory, strongly rejecting any official interaction between Taipei and foreign governments, believing it is a show of support for Taiwan's separation from China.

The UK's Department of International Trade said Greg Hands, the head of the department and a member of parliament, will meet President Tsai and co-host the 25th annual Anglo-Taiwan Trade Talks during his two-day visit.

"Visit Taiwan in person is a clear signal of the UK's commitment to improving UK-Taiwan trade relations," his office said in a statement.

"Like the UK, Taiwan is a champion of free and fair trade backed by a rules-based global trading system," the office continued.

Separately, speaking in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said the country firmly opposes any form of official exchange between countries with which Taiwan has diplomatic ties.

"We urge the British side to stop all forms of official exchange with Taiwan, stop sending the wrong signals to separatist forces for Taiwan independence," he criticized.

Minister Hands will also meet Taiwan's top trade negotiator John Deng and Economy Minister Wang Mei-hua, his office added.

Taiwan's Ministry of Economy declined to comment, saying the meeting he arranged was closed to the media.

Taiwan views Britain as a like-minded democracy partner and has been heartened by London's concerns over recent Chinese war games near the island and support for its participation in international organisations, most of which Taiwan is 'locked down' over China's objections.

The UK, like Taiwan, is also bidding to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Members agreed in February that the UK could continue its implementation, as it seeks new trade relations after leaving the European Union. China has also signed up to join.

The UK does not have formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, but the two have close economic and informal ties and the UK has a de facto embassy in Taipei.

In recent times, Western lawmakers and other officials have stepped up their visits to Taiwan, despite strong objections from Beijing, which views the island as its own territory, against anything that implies it is a separate nation.