China has demanded that Britain hand over the Falkland Islands to Argentina and called on the countries to abandon “colonial thinking,” all while Beijing continues to threaten Taiwan with an invasion.
Chinese ambassador to the United Nations, Geng Shuang, accused the UK of playing “power politics” by keeping the Falklands, known as the Falklands in Argentina, under British rule.
The Falklands were the subject of a short but brutal war after Argentina invaded in 1982. Britain drove out the invaders after sending in a naval armada, but the issue was never considered resolved in Buenos Aires.
“The problem of the Falkland Islands is a historical legacy of colonialism,” Shuang said, according to the South China Morning Post. ‘Although the colonial era is over, hegemonism and power politics that are in line with colonial thought still exist today.’
Not mentioning that China has threatened to annex Taiwan by force if the island’s government does not submit to Beijing’s demands, Shuang said colonial thinking has a “serious impact” on international relations.
He added that it also “seriously harms” the sovereignty, security and development interests of the countries involved. “The international community must remain very vigilant and resolutely resist this,” he said.
The British-ruled Falkland Islands, known as Malvinas in Spanish, were the subject of a short but brutal war after Argentina invaded in 1982. Britain drove out the invading force after sending in a naval armada. Pictured: British troops patrol the Falkland Islands last year.
Pictured: The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Chung-Hoon watching the PLA Chinese Navy ship Luyang III (top) as it transits the Taiwan Strait with the Royal Canadian Navy’s HMCS Montreal on 3 of June.
Shuang made the comments yesterday during a meeting of the special committee on decolonization, which adopted a resolution calling on the UK and Argentina to resume negotiations on the Falkland Islands after talks closed earlier this year.
In March, Argentina furiously accused Britain of ignoring international law after it broke a cooperation pact with the UK and demanded new talks on the sovereignty of the South Atlantic archipelago.
But in response, Britain’s Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said at the time that “the Falkland Islands are British.”
Argentina believes the Falklands were illegally seized from it in 1833 and invaded the British colony in 1982. The UK sent troops and Argentina lost the two-month war over the archipelago in a conflict that claimed the lives of 649 Argentine and 255 British soldiers. .
Argentina still claims the islands, while Britain says the Falklands are a self-governing entity under its protection. A 2013 referendum resulted in a 99.8 percent vote to remain British.
During the UN Committee meeting yesterday, Mr Shuang said China “strongly supported” Argentina’s claim to the islands and called on the UK to hand over the Falklands.
“We urge the UK… to avoid measures that could escalate tension and confrontation, while actively responding to Argentina’s request to resume dialogue and negotiations,” he said.
The speech repeated the same lines pushed by Beijing that the United States and Western nations are trying to maintain their dominance in the South China Sea when they reject China’s military presence there.
Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Beijing on Monday.
In 1982, the Falkland Islands were invaded by Argentine forces that were repulsed in a ten-week war ordered by Margaret Thatcher. The islands were returned to British control. Pictured: British soldiers raising the flag after the war.
China has increased its military presence in the South China Sea in recent months, and President Xi Jinping said in November that Beijing will focus on preparing for war.
There are fears that China will invade Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own. Xi vowed to “reunify” the autonomous island with mainland China, calling it the “great trend in history.”
China has increasingly come out in favor of Argentina gaining control of the Falkland Islands, and against colonization, on the world stage. Experts say this is because Beijing wants to challenge what it sees as Western hegemony.
In February last year, Xi and his Argentine counterpart, Alberto Fernández, issued a joint statement saying that China “reaffirms its support for Argentina’s demand for the full exercise of sovereignty over the Falkland Islands.”
The joint statement also said that Argentina “reaffirms its adherence to the one-China principle,” a reference to China’s claim to Taiwan.
Argentina claims that it acquired the Falklands from Spain in 1816 before Britain asserted its dominance.
In 1982 the archipelago was invaded by Argentine forces who defeated it in a ten-week war ordered by Margaret Thatcher and the islands were returned to British control.
During fierce fighting on land, air and sea, a total of seven British ships were lost, including Sir Galahad, HMS Coventry and HMS Sheffield, which was hit by an Exocet anti-ship missile.
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