Truss to visit Taiwan ‘in solidarity’over China threats
LIZ TRUSS will travel to Taiwan next week to express solidarity with its people following her criticism of China’s “aggressive behaviour and rhetoric”.
The former prime minister, in an “independent travel decision”, will deliver a speech and meet senior members of the Taiwanese government. The visit is likely to provoke a backlash from Beijing, which has repeatedly warned the West to cut bilateral ties with the island it claims as its own.
In February, Ms Truss called for the creation of an “economic Nato” to stand up to the rising global power of China at a conference held in Tokyo.
By contrast, her successor in No10 has been seen to take a softer line on Beijing, dialling down his own language by opting to brand the state an “epochdefining challenge” rather than a blanket “threat” to Britain.
In her first public address since leaving Downing Street, she likened the situation in Taiwan to Ukraine before the Russian invasion, suggesting the West could use sanctions to deter a takeover by President Xi Jinping’s regime and prevent further “tragedy”.
Announcing next week’s visit, Ms Truss said: “Taiwan is a beacon of freedom and democracy.
“I’m looking forward to showing solidarity with the Taiwanese people in person in the face of increasingly aggressive behaviour and rhetoric from the regime in Beijing.”
The trip is likely to irritate China, which responded with a huge show of military force when Nancy Pelosi, the former US speaker, visited the island last year.
Asked about Ms Truss’s visit, a government spokesman said: “We wouldn’t get involved in the independent travel decisions of a private citizen who is not a member of the Government.”
Meanwhile, Sir Tony Blair warned against ostracising China. The former prime minister told Bloomberg TV: “You’ve got to be strong enough to deal with whatever comes out of China, but you should stay engaged with China.
“I don’t agree with decoupling, and I don’t agree with the notion that you treat China like the Soviet Union, because it isn’t.”