Question / Taiwan: Geopolitics

Question for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
UIN 188653, tabled on 9 June 2023

Question
Sir Iain Duncan Smith
Conservative

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Rhodium Group report entitled The Global Economic Disruptions from a Taiwan Conflict, published on14 December 2022, what assessment he has made of the impact of a potential blockade or invasion of Taiwan by the People’s Republic of China on the UK economy; and if he will make a statement.

Answer
Anne-Marie Trevelyan
Conservative

Answered on
14 June 2023

The UK has a clear interest in peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. We consider the Taiwan issue one to be settled peacefully by the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait through constructive dialogue, without the threat or use of force or coercion. As the Foreign Secretary set out in his Mansion House speech, no country could shield itself from the economic repercussions should peace and stability fail in the Taiwan Strait. It’s therefore essential that no party takes unilateral action to change the status quo.