TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A Chinese blockade of Taiwan would be devastating for the world economy, U.K. Foreign Secretary David Cameron said in an ABC interview released Thursday (March 21).

“There's no doubt that were there to be something like a blockade, it would have an absolute calamitous effect on not just on Taiwan but on the global economy,” Cameron said. The U.K. opposes any unilateral actions that would alter the situation in the Taiwan Strait, he said.

Concerning a cross-strait conflict, Cameron said, “It's not something we want to see happen.” As China has become increasingly aggressive, it is important for the U.K. to work with partners like Australia and the U.S. to try and avert potential dangers in the region, he said.

The foreign secretary said Beijing’s actions are “an epoch-defining challenge.” The U.K. is eager to cooperate with China on mutually beneficial issues such as climate change, Cameron said. However, he called out China’s heavy-handed rule over Hong Kong and its treatment of Uyghurs.

Cameron said the U.K. has established a presence in the Indo-Pacific with offshore patrol vessels and the AUKUS partnership to safeguard prosperity and security. “Problems that start in Europe don't end in Europe; problems that start in the Indo-Pacific don't end in the Indo-Pacific,” he said.

The U.K. has emphasized the importance of peace in the Taiwan Strait on multiple occasions and sent military ships through the strait in 2021 and 2023.