China threatened to cancel key trade talks after UK minister’s Taiwan visit in June

Exclusive: diplomats had to scramble to contain fallout with Beijing after Douglas Alexander’s trip to Taipei

China threatened to cancel high-level trade talks with the UK earlier this year over a government minister’s visit to Taiwan, the Guardian can disclose.

Beijing told the British government it would pull its first trade and economic dialogue with the UK in seven years after Douglas Alexander, then a trade minister, travelled to Taipei in late June.