British Parliament rejects China's interpretation of UN Resolution on Taiwan

Taipei [Taiwan], December 1 : Taiwan expressed gratitude to the United Kingdom's House of Commons for clarifying that the United Nations Resolution 2758 does not pertain to Taiwan.
On Thursday, the House of Commons debated Taiwan's international status and unanimously passed a motion supporting Taiwan, the Taipei Times reported.
The motion stated that the House "recognizes that UN Resolution 2758 does not address Taiwan's political status, does not establish PRC (People's Republic of China) sovereignty over Taiwan, and remains silent on both Taiwan's status in the UN and its participation in UN agencies."
Catherine West, the British Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office Parliamentary Undersecretary of State responsible for Indo-Pacific affairs, stated on behalf of the UK government that "the resolution determined that only the People's Republic of China should represent China at the UN."
She added, "However, UN Resolution 2758 did not make any separate or additional decision regarding Taiwan's status and should not be used to prevent Taiwan's meaningful involvement in the UN or the broader international system. This is why the UK opposes any efforts to expand the interpretation of Resolution 2758 to alter historical facts. I believe such actions would not serve the interests of the people of Taiwan, nor would they be beneficial to the UK or the global community."
According to the report in Taipei, Presidential Office spokesperson Karen Kuo stated yesterday that the adoption of the motion further strengthened global support for Taiwan's democratic values and its efforts for international participation.
She emphasized in a statement that Taiwan is committed to standing with democratic allies to collectively defend the shared principles of freedom, democracy, and human rights.
In a statement, the Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the move reflects British Parliament's support for Taiwan. It also underscored the unjust exclusion of Taiwan from key international discussions and cooperative frameworks, marking an important milestone in Taiwan's ongoing efforts to challenge China's misinterpretation of the resolution.
The motion was introduced by Blair McDougall, the Labour lawmaker for East Renfrewshire and a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, and was signed by 16 other lawmakers from various political parties, including the Labour Party, Conservative Party, Unionist Party, Liberal Democrats, and Scottish National Party. Notable signatories included Sarah Champion, co-chair of the British-Taiwanese All-Party Parliamentary Group, and Iain Duncan Smith, co-chair of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) and former Conservative Party leader, according to the ministry.
This demonstrated significant bipartisan support in the British Parliament for Taiwan's sovereignty and its participation in international affairs, the ministry added.
The ministry stated that after the adoption of the IPAC model resolution on UN Resolution 2758 at the annual summit in Taipei in July, along with similar actions by Australia, the Netherlands, Guatemala, and Canada, the British House of Commons becomes the fifth foreign legislative body to pass a motion on the resolution in support of Taiwan.
On October 25, 1971, the UN General Assembly passed United Nations Resolution 2758 (XXVI) which stated that the People's Republic of China is the only legitimate government of China. The resolution replaced the ROC with the PRC as a permanent member of the Security Council in the United Nations.
Meanwhile, the Dutch House of Representatives passed a motion on Tuesday proposed by Eric van der Burg, the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy's foreign affairs spokesman. The motion urges the Dutch government to follow Germany's example and sign an agreement with Taiwan on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters.
This marks the fifth pro-Taiwan motion passed by the Dutch House this year, following a motion clarifying that UN Resolution 2758 does not mention Taiwan, and another advocating for the Dutch government's support for investment agreement negotiations between Taiwan and key EU countries.