China backs Argentina, British FM says Falkland islands part of 'British family'
2 Min Read
China and Argentina sign statements supporting each other's territorial claims, prompting UK's FM to issue a counter-statement.
-
The distance between the Falkland Islands and the UK is around 13,000 km
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said that the Falklands Islands are "part of the British family" after China backed Argentina's claim over the islands located off Argentina's coast.
Truss tweeted that "China must respect the Falklands' sovereignty" after a meeting that brought together Argentinian President Alberto Fernandez and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Beijing Winter Olympics.
We completely reject any questions over sovereignty of the Falklands.
— Liz Truss (@trussliz) February 6, 2022
The Falklands are part of the British family and we will defend their right to self determination.
China must respect the Falklands' sovereignty 🇬🇧🇫🇰
China's Embassy to the UK also posted a statement that both presidents spoke of their deep friendship and that Argentina signed up to China's Belt and Road infrastructure initiative. CGTN also revealed that China declared support for Argentina's claim to the Malvinas Islands (Argentinian name for the Falkland Islands) while Buenos Aires backed Beijing's one-China policy, meaning that Taiwan is part of China.
"China reaffirmed its support for Argentina's demand to fully exercise sovereignty on the Malvinas Islands, and for the resumption of negotiations to resolve the disputes through peaceful means in accordance with relevant resolutions of the United Nations," according to the statement.
China Daily EU Bureau Chief Chen Weihua challenged Truss's statement, saying “But it’s OK for UK to challenge China’s sovereignty in the South China Sea by sending navy vessels? At least China has not sent its navy near the Malvinas, or what you call the Falklands.”
His tweet went viral.
It’s interesting to see how my tweet late last night to Liz Truss went viral, quoted by dozens of news media. Their usual trick is the phrase “owned by the Chinese Communist party” aimed to discredit. Maybe they should add after the name of Truss, “owned by Washington”. She is. pic.twitter.com/KoMSHqY3lM
— Chen Weihua （陈卫华） (@chenweihua) February 7, 2022
