DHARAMSHALA, May 8: Refusing to bow down to pressure from China, the United Kingdom has made it clear that the country will make its own decision on who they meet. This comes after Beijing demanded a public apology from the UK following Prime Minister David Cameron’s meeting with the Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama last year.
The Downing Street has made it clear that ministers “will decide who they meet and where they meet them” while admitting that they have had difficulties arranging meetings with senior figures in the Chinese government as a result of the stand-off.
The inclusion of the translation industry in the controversial cross-strait service trade agreement could allow China to dominate Taiwan’s linguistic development and pave the way for its cultural assimilation, Taiwan Democracy Watch secretary-general Chen Kuan-yu (陳冠宇) said yesterday.
Chen issued the warning following the conclusion of the Ninth Cross-Strait Economic, Trade and Culture Forum on Oct. 27, during which representatives from the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party called for the pact’s speedy passage and implementation.




