TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A delegation from the U.K. parliament’s foreign affairs committee is expected to visit Taiwan next week.
The group was originally scheduled to visit Taiwan in February, but the trip was postponed due to the pandemic. Newly elected Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Alicia Kearns confirmed in October she will lead a delegation to Taiwan, according to a City A.M. report.
The MP said she has been pushing for a visit since 2020 but added that she does not want to “antagonize” China.
In August, Kearns wrote an opinion article in The House Magazine urging more U.K. support for Taiwan. She called on the government to back Taiwan’s bid for international participation and recognize its contributions to the world.
Kearns said Taiwan cannot be “used as a pawn” when it comes to ties between China and global superpowers. She added that the U.K. and its allies should come up with appropriate responses at “varying levels of escalation” by China against Taiwan.
“We owe it to the people of Taiwan to rise above the rhetoric and get on with implementing the strategic change we need at home to be stronger on the world stage, and internationally to redouble our efforts to support our Taiwanese friends diplomatically,” she said.
The last time a U.K. foreign affairs committee delegation came to Taiwan was in 2006, under the Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) administration.