TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan on Sunday pushed back on an editorial written by China’s ambassador to the UK, which claimed Taiwan is a Chinese province. 

In a Telegraph opinion article, Zheng Zeguang said that the UK made a “commitment” to the “one China” principle when it established diplomatic ties with Beijing in 1972. Zheng claimed that UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 “made it clear” that Taiwan is a part of China. 

The Taipei Representative Office in the UK said in a statement that Zheng's comments “deliberately mislead the international community.” It pointed out that in the 1972 joint communique with China, the UK only acknowledged Beijing’s claim on Taiwan, which is “fundamentally different from recognizing or accepting China’s claim.”

The office also said that UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 was about China’s representation in the UN and does not address Taiwan’s sovereignty. The UK government reaffirmed this in a parliamentary response in November. Beijing’s misinterpretation of the resolution “constitutes a serious violation” of UN Charter principles and threatens the international order, the office said. 

Taiwan has its own democratically elected government and only it can represent the 23 million Taiwanese, the office said. It added that Taiwan and China “are not subordinate to each other.” 

Taiwan and the UK are like-minded partners that share a commitment to democracy, respect for human rights, and the rule of law, the office said. It pledged to deepen bilateral cooperation with the UK and maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific and the rules-based international order.