WORLD / EUROPE
China calls for stable Brexit after UK Parliament veto
Published: Jan 16, 2019 09:48 PM

Photo: Xinhua



 China on Wednesday called for a stable Brexit ­after the UK Parliament rejected the British Prime Minister Theresa May's deal on leaving the European Union.

"We noted that there are still some differences between the UK and the European Union over Brexit," Hua Chunying, spokesperson of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told a news briefing on Wednesday. 

"We believe that a stable and open development of the UK and the EU is in the interest of all parties."

She noted that China hopes the Brexit process will proceed smoothly and orderly, adding that China's role in promoting China-UK and China-EU relations will not change.

May suffered the biggest government defeat in modern British history on Tuesday night when the House of Commons rejected by a vote of 432 to 202 the withdrawal agreement she struck with Brussels late last year.

The EU immediately warned that the vote ­raises the risk of a hugely disruptive "no deal" Brexit where Britain could sever ties with its biggest trading partner overnight.

Addressing the European Parliament on Wednesday, EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier defended the agreement struck with May that was crushed the previous evening by an alliance of British lawmakers on opposing sides of the Brexit divide and warned that the risk of a disorderly withdrawal was now greater than ever.

The EU executive would step up its preparations, he said, for a disorderly exit that would disrupt the whole of Europe.

Barnier indicated that one way forward would be for Britain to accept even closer alignment with EU regulations to secure a very close trading relationship in future - EU officials say London could, for example, abandon its determination to leave the EU customs union and centrally regulated single market.

May's spokesperson said Wednesday the government's policy was to be outside of a customs union with the EU so it can do new trade deals with other countries.

"Whether [it's] a or the customs union you still don't have the ability to do your own trade deals, and she has said that one of the principles that we approach these talks with is that we want to be able to do trade deals around the world," the spokesperson told reporters.