BEIJING: China's ambassador to Britain, Zheng Zheguang, on Tuesday threatened with "serious consequences" if British lawmakers visited Taiwan, according to The Guardian.
Zheng told a news conference in London that the visits would interfere with China's internal affairs and have a negative impact on China-UK relations.
Zheng was quoted in The Guardian as saying, "We call on the UK to abide by the Sino-UK joint communique and not to underestimate the excessive sensitivity of the Taiwan issue and not to follow in the footsteps of the US."
Zheng made his remarks after The Guardian reported on Monday that a visit by the British House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee to Taiwan is likely to take place in early November or late November this year.
China is under increasing pressure on Taiwan, which considers the island's democratic government as its own.
Separately, tensions in the Taiwan Strait have escalated after US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi reached the self-governing island claimed by China late on Tuesday. China has condemned this action as a threat to peace and stability.
A request for comment from Reuters regarding Zheng's statement was not immediately responded to by the committee. It was not possible to immediately contact Taiwan's foreign ministry.
The report follows a deterioration in relations between China and Britain, with UK leadership optimists Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss displaying their tough stance on China as they try to succeed Boris Johnson as Prime Minister of Great Britain. compete for.
According to The Guardian, in response to comments made by Sunak and Truss about China, Zheng urged British politicians to be "realistic" about the fundamentals of the bilateral relationship.
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