How the UK “Discovered” Taiwan

This chapter provides an overview of the evolution of the UK&s;s position on Taiwan. Although the UK&s;s formal “one China policy” remains unchanged, expressions of substantive and symbolic support for Taiwan have greatly increased in recent years. The chapter seeks to explain this change by situating the UK&s;s relationship with Taiwan within its changing assessment of the People&s;s Republic of China (PRC) and a new commitment to Asian security cooperation. While the UK and Taiwan have signaled a willingness to expand economic and other forms of cooperation, balancing the need for bilateral relations with the PRC remains a constraint for UK governments. The chapter discusses how successive governments have sought to achieve this while quietly extending support to Taiwan and working with democratic regional partners and the US to prepare for security contingencies in the Taiwan Strait. Despite the volatility of UK politics in recent years, support for Taiwan is a constant through numerous parliaments and across political parties. The chapter explains why and charts the transformation of Taiwan from an afterthought to a salient issue for many Members of Parliament.