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MOFA response to signing of Downing Street Accord by UK prime minister and ROK president

  • Date:2023-11-24
  • Data Source:Department of European Affairs

November 24, 2023

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China (Taiwan) notes that, during a state visit to the United Kingdom, Republic of Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol signed the Downing Street Accord with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on November 22. The agreement expresses the two sides’ concern over the situation in the Indo-Pacific region and across the Taiwan Strait. 

 

According to the text, the United Kingdom and the Republic of Korea will strive for openness and transparency in the Indo-Pacific. The two sides emphasized that their basic positions on Taiwan remain unchanged and that peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is an indispensable element in the security and prosperity of the international community. They also expressed strong opposition to any unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the region and underscored their firm commitment to international law, including freedom of navigation and overflight, as set out in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

 

MOFA welcomes and appreciates that like-minded partners once again expressed concern for the situation across the Taiwan Strait, following the November meeting between the UK foreign and defense secretaries and their Japanese counterparts. As a responsible member of the international community, Taiwan will continue to contribute to regional peace and stability in cooperation with democratic partners such as the United Kingdom, Japan, and Republic of Korea.