On Monday, Beijing (AP)– Britain has firmly rebuffed the statement issued by China, which affirmed Beijing’s support of Argentina’s right to claim the Falkland Islands when relations with London and Asia’s top power remain in a tense state.
In a tweet, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said that the United Kingdom “completely” rejected “any concerns about the sovereignty of the Falklands.”
“The Falklands are part of the British family, and we will stand up for their right to self-determination. China has to respect Falklands sovereignty,” she wrote.
Chinese president Xi Jinping and his Argentine counterpart Alberto Fernandez issued a joint statement on Sunday, which stated that China “reaffirms its full support for Argentina’s demands for the full exercising of its control over Malvinas Islands,” using the Argentine name for the territory. Both leaders met while Fernandez arrived in Beijing to attend his participation in the Winter Olympics.
Argentina believes that the Falklands were illegally removed from it in 1833. In 1833, it invaded the British colonies in the year 1982. In 1982, the United Kingdom sent troops, and Argentina was defeated in the two-month war to that South Atlantic archipelago in a conflict that claimed the lives of 649 Argentines and more than 255 British soldiers.
Argentina still has a claim to the islands. London declares that the Falklands are an autonomous entity under the protection of.
The relationship between Britain and China has been strained across a variety of fronts, such as Britain’s inclusion in the U.S.-led diplomatic boycott at Beijing during the Beijing Winter Olympics to protest China’s record on human rights.
The joint statement also stated that Argentina “reaffirms its commitment to the one-China principle,” which refers to China’s claim to Taiwan, an autonomous island democratic state of Taiwan.
“China and Argentina agree to continue in close coordination and communication on international issues and protect the general interests of both countries and other emerging countries,” the statement said.
Xi and Fernandez also vowed to strengthen economic cooperation. They signed a memorandum of agreement regarding Argentina being a part of the “Belt and Road Initiative,” the signature project of Xi, to create Chinese infrastructure around the world.
China has taken over Brazil as Argentina’s primary commercial partner. If talks with Beijing continue to progress, Argentina will become the first of the four major Latin American economies to join the initiative.
“Belt Integration of the Road Initiative and Belt will not be an abrupt shift, but it’s a continuation of the broad trends of increased engagement between China and Argentina,” said Pepe Zhang, director and a fellow of the Atlantic Council’s Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center.
Fernandez also laid a wreath at the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall during his visit. The remains of Mao Zedong, the revolutionary communist who established the People’s Republic, are displayed in a casket made of crystal.
