Responding to a petition that demands official recognition of Taiwan as a country, the British government began by saying: "The longstanding position of Her Majesty's Government is that we do not recognize Taiwan as a state."
"The United Kingdom believes that the Taiwan issue should be resolved through dialogue, in line with the views of the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, (which lies between Taiwan and China).
The British government did not break any new ground but was merely restating its longstanding and consistent position, said Liu Chih-kung (劉志攻), Taiwan's representative to Britain.