MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
“China must respect Falklands' sovereignty”, foreign secretary Truss message to Beijing
Argentine president Fernandez is currently in China where he met Xi Jinping Foreign Secretary Liz Truss defended the Falkland Islands as “part of the British family” after Beijing backed Argentina’s sovereignty claim over the South Atlantic islands.
Ms Tuss tweeted that “China must respect the Falklands’ sovereignty” after Argentine president, Alberto Fernandez, met with China’s President Xi Jinping on the fringes of the opening of Beijing winter Olympics. Fernandez is on a state visit to China
According to a statement on London’s Chinese Embassy website, the two leaders spoke of their “deep friendship” and Argentina signed up to China’s Belt and Road infrastructure initiative, a state-backed campaign for global investments and influence.
But they also signed an agreement in which China reasserted its support for Argentina’s claim to the Falklands, while president Fernandez backed Beijing's one-China policy, which claims Taiwan, and calls it a rebel province.
The statement said Argentina should be able to “fully exercise its sovereignty over the Malvinas (Falklands) Islands issue”. But Ms Truss said: “We completely reject any questions over sovereignty of the Falklands.
“The Falklands are part of the British family and we will defend their right to self-determination. “China must respect the Falklands’ sovereignty.”
Point 4 of the Argentine/China Joint Declaration states “both sides ratify their commitment to continue strong reciprocal support for their respective sovereign interests. The argentine side reaffirms its adherence to the principle of one China, while the Chinese side reiterates its support for the Argentine full exercise of its sovereignty claims in the Malvinas Islands question, as well as the resumption of negotiations in the shortest time possible leading to a peaceful solution of the dispute, in conformity with the pertinent resolutions from the United Nations”.
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Read all commentsDangerous times when the Argies decide to be freeloaders on the backs of China and Russia. Very sassy of them to be leveraging world tensions by paralleling Taiwan with the Falklands (not at all comparable, by the way) and probably hoping to get some free/ cheap planes and armaments from their new-found (but very distant) allies.
Feb 07th, 2022 - 10:49 am +5We may have thought that the Chinese and Russians would not bother with a debt-ridden uncontrolled junta in South America and their silly claims about a rock in the South Atlantic but times have changed and the Chinese are trying to control every resource they can get their hands on- minerals, grain, fishing - you name it. If they have to put up with Argentina and their silly bleating about the Falklands, it will be a small price to get their hands on a load of valuable real estate with potential to feed their population and to provide more raw materials for their industry.
Trimonde, where did he make a racist comment?
Feb 07th, 2022 - 05:12 pm +5It is strange that some countries choose to ignore the Charter of the United Nations and cherry pick when it does suit them. Either you are in or out. Either you accept or you don't. You either signed up to the Charter or you didn't.
If you accept the United Nations Charter, then you must have signed up and agree with the Right to Self-Determination. If you think that UN Res 2065 is the be-all and end-all, why did you ignore UN Res 502?
Falkland Islanders, like any other population, be they in China, Germany, the US, et al are entitled to the Right of Self-Determination. Just accept it.
300 Chinese fishing vessels in Argentine waters - soon to be 3000. Western man can forget about environemntal concerns, as such issues are unconcerned in the far east. The hipster president needs new threads and heads off to Wuhan in obeisance ...
Feb 07th, 2022 - 11:13 am +4Commenting for this story is now closed.
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