April 26, 2023
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) of the Republic of China (Taiwan) has taken note of the annual foreign policy speech delivered by UK Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs James Cleverly during the Lord Mayor’s Easter Banquet at Mansion House in London on April 25. In his remarks, Foreign Secretary Cleverly emphasized that unilateral action must not be taken to change the status quo across the Taiwan Strait. The United Kingdom has long supported the peaceful resolution of cross-strait differences and demonstrated a firm and friendly stance, for which MOFA expresses its sincere appreciation.
In his speech, Foreign Secretary Cleverly indicated that approximately half of the world’s container ships pass through the Taiwan Strait every year. He noted that Taiwan is a thriving democracy and a crucial link in global supply chains, particularly for advanced semiconductors. He said that not only would war across the Taiwan Strait be a human tragedy, it would also be disastrous to the global economy and trade. Regardless of its distance from the Taiwan Strait, Secretary Cleverly stressed, no country would be able to shield itself from the repercussions.
Foreign Secretary Cleverly’s remarks on the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait follow similar declarations in the joint statement issued by the foreign and defense ministers of the United Kingdom and Australia after ministerial consultations on February 2, the Integrated Review Refresh 2023 published by the UK government on March 13, and Foreign Secretary Cleverly’s interview with the Guardian on April 18. All of these instances demonstrated the United Kingdom’s firm and friendly stance toward Taiwan and underscored the high degree of consensus among the international democratic community on maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait as an indispensable element of a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
Taiwan and the United Kingdom are steadfast partners, sharing the values of freedom, democracy, the rule of law, and human rights, as well as a commitment to safeguarding the rules-based international order. As a responsible member of the Indo-Pacific region, Taiwan will continue to work with like-minded partners such as the United Kingdom to strengthen the resilience of democratic nations worldwide, advance democracy, promote cooperation and exchanges in a variety of domains, and jointly uphold peace, stability, prosperity, and sustainable development in the Indo-Pacific region and the world.