UK Defense Secretary denies 'ready to fight' comment on Taiwan

UK Secretary of State for Defense John Healey has rubbished claims that he told a British newspaper his country was ready to fight in the Pacific if a conflict broke out over Taiwan.

Healey's response follows a story in The Telegraph on July 27 concerning his remarks when asked about what the UK was doing to help places like Taiwan to prepare for potential "military escalation" from China's mainland.

Healey was quoted as saying: "If we have to fight, as we have done in the past, Australia and the UK are nations that will fight together. We exercise together and by exercising together and being more ready to fight, we deter better together." 

On Friday, Healey discussed with financial newspaper Nikkei Asia the quotes he had allegedly made last month on board the UK carrier HMS Prince of Wales, currently harbored in Tokyo as part of an eight-month deployment. 

Seeking peace

Healey said the article was "entirely wrong" and insisted the reporter "clearly wrote the opposite" of what he had said.

Regarding possible responses to military action in the region, Healey told Nikkei Asia he would not speculate on hypothetical scenarios but stressed Britain's position was to seek a peaceful outcome.

Concerning relations with Beijing, Healey said: "China is our third biggest trading partner.

We will cooperate whenever we can and challenge where we must," he added.