UK rebukes China for supporting Argentina's Falklands claim

Britain has firmly rejected a statement from China that affirmed Beijing’s support for Argentina’s claim to the Falkland Islands, as relations between London and Asia’s leading power remain strained

BEIJING -- Britain on Monday firmly rejected a statement from China that affirmed Beijing's support for Argentina's claim to the Falkland Islands, as relations between London and Asia's leading power remain strained.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said in a tweet that the United Kingdom “completely" rejected "any questions over sovereignty of the Falklands.”

“The Falklands are part of the British family and we will defend their right to self determination. China must respect the Falklands’ sovereignty,” she wrote.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Argentine counterpart Alberto Fernandez issued a joint statement on Sunday that said China “reaffirms its support for Argentina’s demand for the full exercise of sovereignty over the Malvinas Islands,” using the Argentine name for the territory. The two leaders met as Fernandez was in Beijing for the Winter Olympics.