Taiwan ex-president to visit UK

The UK Foreign Office has requested a postponement of a visit by former Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen to London, fearing it could jeopardize Foreign Secretary David Lammy's upcoming goodwill visit to China. Tsai's planned visit was organized by the British-Taiwanese all-party parliamentary group and aimed for this month but has now been deferred until spring 2025. The Foreign Office communicated that hosting Tsai could negatively impact diplomatic relations with China, which the UK government is currently prioritizing. This situation highlights the UK’s long-standing diplomatic balancing act concerning Taiwan and China, as it has not officially recognized Taiwan as a separate country since the 1950s. Prominent UK politicians, however, have expressed a desire to welcome Tsai, emphasizing the importance of parliamentary dialogue. The revelation has sparked criticism of the Labour government's approach to foreign relations amid attempts to improve ties with Beijing.