The British foreign secretary clearly needs to dust off his history books, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a regular press conference on Monday. She made the remarks to comment on the reports about British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly's recent interview. James Cleverly said that he "fundamentally disagreed" that the Taiwan Straits was a domestic matter for China, insisting that it was in "everybody's interests" to have a peaceful resolution to the situation.

Mao emphasized that the one-China principle is the political foundation and prerequisite for the establishment and development of China-UK diplomatic relations. More than 50 years ago, in the China-UK Joint Communiqué on an Exchange of Ambassadors, the UK acknowledged that Taiwan is a province of the People's Republic of China and recognized the Government of the People's Republic of China as the sole legal government of China, she added.