December 18, 2022
The United Kingdom House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee on December 18 published a report entitled Refreshing our approach? Updating the Integrated Review, recommending changes to be included in an updated version of the Integrated Review to be issued by the UK government next February. The Committee report stresses that the United Kingdom only acknowledges rather than accepts the People’s Republic of China’s “one China policy” and that it supports maintaining the status quo across the Taiwan Strait. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China (Taiwan) sincerely welcomes and appreciates the support and friendship that the UK House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee has demonstrated for Taiwan through concrete action.
The report notes the Committee’s surprise that Taiwan was not mentioned in the 2021 Integrated Review given the document’s emphasis on the United Kingdom’s pursuit of Indo-Pacific engagement and the fact that Taiwan is a core part of the United Kingdom’s interests in the region. The Committee report also emphasizes the UK government’s failure to make clear that its position is acknowledgment of the PRC’s “one China policy” rather than acceptance of it and that it supports Taiwan’s policy that the status quo should not be changed by force.
Published by the UK government in March 2021, Global Britain in a competitive age: The Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy was the most comprehensive review of UK security and defense policy since the end of the Cold War. Given that the world has experienced a series of significant geopolitical changes since the review was published, the UK government is currently appraising and updating the review to reflect the current challenges faced by the United Kingdom and the international community.
A five-member cross-party delegation from the UK House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, led by Chair Alicia Kearns, visited Taiwan in November to examine such issues as the cross-strait situation and Taiwan-UK relations with a view to making recommendations on the UK government’s updates to the Integrated Review. Before departing Taiwan, the parliamentarians stated that they had observed Taiwan’s countermeasures against an authoritarian regime and contributions to ensuring peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific. They also said that Taiwan does not stand alone in the international community and that the UK Parliament would remain true to its policy of firmly supporting Taiwan as a democratic partner.
Taiwan and the United Kingdom have long enjoyed a close friendship. The United Kingdom has consistently endorsed Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations, shown concern and support for preserving peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and called for peaceful reconciliation of cross-strait differences. As a responsible member of the Indo-Pacific, Taiwan will continue to work with the United Kingdom and other like-minded countries and partners to strengthen the resilience of the global democratic community, support democratic advancement, promote cooperation and exchanges across diverse domains, and jointly ensure peace, stability, prosperity, and sustainable development in the Indo-Pacific.