Former UK PM Johnson rejects bullying of Taiwan, calls for deeper ties with West

5/8/2025 18:58

Former British prime minister Boris Johnson said on Tuesday that Taiwan did not deserve to be bullied by China and urged the West to build economic and political relations with Taipei in the face of Beijing's campaign against the democratic island.



Johnson is the third former British prime minister to visit Taiwan, after Liz Truss in 2023 and Margaret Thatcher in the 1990s, and his trip comes at a time when Britain and China are seeking to further stabilise ties as Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to visit Beijing later this year.



Britain, like most countries, has no formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan but the two governments have close economic and culture exchanges.



Beijing has in recent years ramped up military and diplomatic pressure campaigns against Taiwan, including daily military activities near the island, to assert territorial claims the government in Taipei strongly rejects.