New Southbound Policy Portal

MOFA response to Taiwan-related comments by UK Foreign Secretary Cameron during interview with Australia’s ABC News

From Department of European Affairs, MOFA 2024-03-22

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) has noted that during an interview with Australia’s ABC News on March 21, UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron stated that the United Kingdom was highly concerned about the Taiwan Strait situation and opposed any unilateral changes to the status quo across the Taiwan Strait. Secretary Cameron also said that if China were to conduct a blockade in the Taiwan Strait, it would have a greater and more calamitous effect on Taiwan and the global economy than that of the COVID-19 pandemic. MOFA acknowledges and welcomes Secretary Cameron’s comments regarding peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

In his interview, Secretary Cameron further stated that China’s increasingly assertive behavior represented an “epoch-defining challenge.” He said that the United Kingdom had noted the situations in Hong Kong and for Uyghurs and was actively participating in Indo-Pacific affairs. In addition to deploying offshore patrol vessels, the United Kingdom was strengthening cooperation with allies through the AUKUS agreement he added, stressing that Indo-Pacific peace and stability were vital to UK and global security and prosperity.

Since 2021, the United Kingdom has expressed concern over the Taiwan Strait situation on multiple occasions—either individually or together with like-minded nations through such groups as the G7. As a responsible member of the international community, Taiwan will continue to cooperate with the United Kingdom and other democratic partners so as to contribute to regional peace and security and global openness and prosperity.