Chinese Ambassador to the United Kingdom Liu Xiaoming warned that there would be "serious consequences" if any British lawmakers visited Taiwan, saying that they should not "dance to the tune of the United States."
At a news conference in London, the Chinese ambassador, Zheng Zeguang, who has been on parliament's sanctions list since last summer, reminded the British government of the 1972 joint communiqué the two nations signed when they began exchanging ambassadors.
Zheng's remark was made as Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the US House of Representatives, launched her controversial tour to Taiwan, over which Beijing claims sovereignty.
Pelosi stated that the purpose of her visit was to demonstrate unity with the thriving Asian democracy, but Beijing issued a number of warnings and threats in response.
China's ministry of defense announced on Tuesday that the People's Liberation Army (PLA) had been placed on "high alert" and announced a series of targeted military operations.
China said these military operations include missile tests in the waters east of Taiwan and drills encircling the main island for four days, shortly after Pelosi leaves this week.
In recent years, tensions between China and a number of western nations, especially the United Kingdom, regarding Taiwan have increased.
The Chinese ambassador stated that the vow of some British lawmakers to "protect Taiwan" and the planned visit of parliamentarians to the island would represent "severe violations of the one-China principle and the [Sino-UK] joint communiqué."
"As I previously stated, those who play with fire will get burned," Zheng added, repeating the warning of his president, Xi Jinping, who delivered the identical line to Joe Biden, his American counterpart, during their fifth phone call last week.
The foreign affairs committee of Britain's House of Commons is reportedly planning a trip to Taiwan for later this year, with the trip likely taking place in late November or early December, as reported by The Guardian on Monday.
In response to comments made by the two Conservative leadership candidates, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, concerning China in recent weeks, Zheng advised British politicians to "stop making up stories" and "be realistic" about the basics of bilateral relations.
In addition, he stated that the nature of the Taiwan matter is completely different from Ukraine, and that any discussion of "decoupling" between the Chinese and British economies is "self-defeating" and will ultimately undermine interests of [British] consumers in the face of rising inflation and the continuous cost of living crisis.
