When I first moved to Kaohsiung eight years ago, one of my first visits was to the spectacular former British Consulate at Takao.

Perched on the cliffs, overlooking the busy harbor and the island of Cijin, with the city skyline softened by the haze in the background, it was the perfect place for an occasionally homesick Brit to indulge in a cup of tea and a slice of cake while reminding himself of just what an amazing city he now called home.

Despite its history being rooted largely in the eras of Chinese and Japanese occupation, the former British Consulate has always, to me at least, been a symbol of UK-Taiwan relations.

And much like the building itself once was, which was damaged by bombing during World War II and by Typhoon Thelma in 1977, these relations are currently in need of a little restoration.

The U.K. was one of the first western countries to break off diplomatic relations with the Republic of China (Taiwan) in favor of Beijing, as far back as 1950. While Taipei opened a representative office in London in 1962, there was no British equivalent here until 1993.

The British Foreign Office has something of a reputation for being set in its ways and not adapting to changing geopolitical situations nearly fast enough. That has certainly been the case when it comes to its relations with Taiwan.

Under the leadership of David Cameron, the U.K. pushed for a so-called ‘Golden Era’ of Sino-British relations. Xi Jinping was given a state visit to Britain, dined with the Queen, was given the honor of an address to both Houses of Parliament, and even supped a pint of bitter in Cameron’s local pub.

Times have changed. The People’s Republic of China has illegally annexed Hong Kong, in breach of the internationally recognized Sino-British Joint Agreement that was signed ahead of the handover in 1997.

It has undertaken a genocide of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang, clamped down hard on press and religious freedom, and has become openly hostile to the U.K. and its democratic allies over numerous matters.

Not that you would know as much from the attitude of the British Foreign Office. They are still inexorably wedded to the so-called ‘One China’ policy, and as a result, while trade with Taiwan continues to develop, diplomatic ties remain on ice.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has focused minds in the U.K. on Taiwan’s situation like never before.

In a keynote speech last month entitled ‘The Return of Geo-Politics’, British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss explicitly mentioned the importance of ensuring Taiwan has the means to defend itself. That sort of comment is completely unprecedented from a British Foreign Secretary in modern times.

Then this week, British Health Secretary Sajid Javid MP used his platform at the World Health Assembly to call for Taiwan to be included. Again, it is rare to hear such explicit comments from a senior British Minister.

Recently, a new advocacy and research group has been set up to push the U.K. Government to deepen relations with Taiwan on all levels.

The Taiwan Policy Centre’s inaugural report, entitled ‘Ukraine Today, Taiwan Tomorrow’ calls on the U.K. Government to take advantage of Brexit and its desire for an ‘Indo-Pacific Tilt’ to show leadership when it comes to supporting Taiwan’s place in the world.

These two speeches are undoubtedly a step in the right direction. But words alone will achieve little unless they are followed up by actions.

Among the recommendations in the report is a call for the U.K. to join the U.S. in providing Taiwan with the defensive tools and training it needs to defend itself from the threat of an invasion.

This past month has also seen U.S. President Joe Biden apparently move away from a stance of strategic ambiguity and state during a visit to Japan that his country would defend Taiwan in the event of an invasion. The report calls on the U.K. and other democratic countries around the world to do the same.

If the U.K. is serious about backing Taiwan, the obvious step it can take is to boost diplomatic relations too. That means granting Taiwanese diplomats full diplomatic status in the U.K., allowing the Representative Offices in London and Edinburgh to use the name Taiwan rather than Taipei, and ending the self-imposed ban on Ministerial visits.

The British Consulate at Takao is a symbol of the long-standing links between the U.K. and Taiwan. There are signs that these links are being strengthened once more.

But the British Foreign Office still moves as fast as a tortoise, so we have to hope that this is a case where slow and steady wins the race.

(Feature photo by WEI, WAN-CHEN(魏琬臻)on Wikicommons, CC BY-SA 4.0)

David Spencer is the co-founder and CEO of the Taiwan Policy Centre, a not-for-profit group that advocates for closer ties between the UK and Taiwan. You can find out more about the Taiwan Policy Centre on our website – https://taiwanpolicycentre.com
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