China calls on UK to uphold ‘one-China’ principle

BEIJING (Reuters) -China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi called on Britain on Friday to uphold the “one-China” principle, as Beijing seeks to rally support in its worst diplomatic dispute with Tokyo in years over democratically-governed Taiwan.

The “One China” principle, which Beijing views as meaning both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one country, is something Taipei’s government rejects.

China hopes to maintain strategic communication and enhance “necessary coordination” with the United Kingdom, Wang said during a meeting in Beijing with Britain’s national security adviser, Jonathan Powell. The two also discussed Ukraine, according to a Chinese ministry readout.

(Reporting by Beijing Newsroom, Editing by William Maclean)