October 25, 2022
No. 310
Member of the United Kingdom House of Commons Rishi Sunak was elected leader of the Conservative Party on October 24 and appointed by King Charles III to serve as Prime Minister and form a new cabinet on October 25. After the Conservative Party smoothly completed the election of its leader, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) of the Republic of China (Taiwan) promptly instructed the Taipei Representative Office in the United Kingdom to convey a message welcoming this news, offer sincere congratulations from the people and government of Taiwan to the people and government of the United Kingdom, and forward a congratulatory letter from President Tsai Ing-wen. MOFA looks forward to further enhancing bilateral relations between Taiwan and the United Kingdom and appreciates the UK government’s steadfast support for peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait as well as its assistance in strengthening Taiwan’s resilience against coercion. MOFA also recognizes the United Kingdom’s efforts to staunchly safeguard the rules-based international order in the face of authoritarian expansion.
Prime Minister Sunak, 42, is the first person of Indian descent to serve in this position. First elected to parliament in 2015, he served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from February 2020 to July 2022, leading the United Kingdom in a robust response to the COVID-19 pandemic and stagnating economic activity. A report published by the UK government in March 2021 entitled Global Britain in a Competitive Age: the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy pointed out that “China . . . presents the biggest state-based threat to the UK’s economic security.” In a similar vein, Mr. Sunak once tweeted that “China and the Chinese Communist Party represent the largest threat to Britain and the world’s security and prosperity this century,” stressing that democratic nations should stand up for their values and security interests. In August 2022, responding to a question from the media regarding China’s military threat to Taiwan, Mr. Sunak stated that the best way to prevent aggression against Taiwan from China was to show Russia it would not succeed in Ukraine. He said he believed that the United Kingdom’s Taiwan policy was the right approach and pledged not to change the policy should he become Prime Minister. Taiwan looks forward to working closely with the UK government led by Prime Minister Sunak and further deepening friendly relations and cooperation in all domains.
Taiwan and the United Kingdom share the core values of democracy, freedom, human rights, and the rule of law. Bilateral ties have advanced steadily in recent years through extensive cooperation in technology, energy transition, exchange of driving licenses, smart cities, air services, and other areas. High-level UK government officials have repeatedly stated that security across the Taiwan Strait is in the United Kingdom’s interests. On numerous public occasions, they have reiterated the importance of maintaining cross-strait peace and stability. At this critical time of dramatic changes in the international geopolitical landscape, Taiwan will continue to work hand in hand with the United Kingdom and other like-minded countries to strengthen democratic resilience and solidarity and jointly counter authoritarian expansion and coercion. Taiwan has full confidence that under Prime Minister Sunak’s leadership, Taiwan and the United Kingdom will conduct in-depth discussions, cooperation, and exchanges across a broad spectrum of fields, raising their substantive and cordial bilateral partnership to new heights. (E)