May 17, 2023
3 mins read

Truss urges govt to get tough with China on Taiwan

Truss called on Sunak to make good on his pledge during the Conservative leadership campaign last year to designate China a strategic “threat”…reports Asian Lite News

Former prime minister Liz Truss on Wednesday urged her successor Rishi Sunak to get tough with China on issues such as Taiwan, describing the democratic island as “an enduring rebuke to totalitarianism”.

China considers self-ruled Taiwan to be its territory, to be taken one day by force if necessary and strongly opposes any formal engagement with the island, including by high-profile foreign political figures.

Truss, who is on a five-day visit to Taiwan, accused Sunak and other Western governments of “trying to cling on to the idea that we can cooperate with China on issues like climate change, as if there is nothing wrong”.

“But without freedom and democracy, there is nothing else. We know what happens to the environment or world health under totalitarian regimes that don’t tell the truth,” she said.

“You can’t believe a word they (China) say.”

Rishi Sunak

Truss also called on Sunak to make good on his pledge during the Conservative leadership campaign last year to designate China a strategic “threat”, and went on to say the West could not avoid another “Cold War” with Beijing.

It is “absolutely clear” that Chinese President Xi Jinping “has ambitions to take Taiwan”, she added at a press conference later.

“We don’t know exactly when that could take place and we don’t know how… All we can do is make sure Taiwan is as protected as possible.”

Sunak has pushed back on the tough rhetoric against China that Truss deployed before and during her 49-day tenure at 10 Downing Street last year.

She was ousted after her radical economic policies crashed financial markets.

Since then, Truss — who is still a sitting MP — has been trying to rebuild her profile with a series of speeches overseas, including in Tokyo, Washington and Copenhagen.

The Chinese government has slammed Truss’s Taiwan visit as a “dangerous political show which will do nothing but harm to the UK”.

A spokesman for the Chinese embassy in London accused her of “colluding with ‘Taiwan independence’ secessionist forces to provoke confrontation”, in a statement issued before her speech in Taipei.

It added that Truss’s visit would “further expose herself as a failed politician”.

The former leader has also faced accusations back home that she is indulging in irresponsible sabre-rattling in a bid to maintain her political relevance.

“The (Taiwan) trip is performative, not substantive,” House of Commons foreign relations committee chair Alicia Kearns told The Guardian newspaper last week.

“It is the worst kind of example of Instagram diplomacy,” the Conservative said, recalling previous criticism of Truss’s tireless self-promotion on social media.

Pic credits @CGMeifangZhang

Kearns added the trip was likely to deepen problems for Taiwan.

Truss defended herself Wednesday by saying she was invited by Taipei, which was “best placed to understand what will help Taiwan’s course”.

Beijing has in recent years stepped up air and sea incursions around Taiwan, whose President Tsai Ing-wen has refused to accept that the island is a part of China.

After a visit to Taiwan by then-speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, China launched massive military drills around the island.

There were more drills this year following a meeting in the United States between Tsai and Pelosi’s successor.

ALSO READ: ‘China and UK should focus on cooperation’

ALSO READ: ‘Russia becoming a vassal of China amid Ukraine war’

Previous Story

Mawlawi Abdul Kabir named new acting PM of Afghanistan

Next Story

Eco-friendly and sustainable lifestyle habits

Latest from -Top News

IMF hails India’s economic reforms

The IMF on Tuesday raised India’s growth projection to 6.6 per cent, an upward swing of 0.2 percentage points…reports Asian Lite News IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva on Thursday praised India for

Trump plans new squeeze on Russia

US President Donald Trump plans to tighten pressure on Moscow by halting global energy imports from Russia….reports Asian Lite News Since imposing a large sum of “reciprocal” trade tariff, Trump has been

India, Lanka deepen trade, education ties

The leaders discussed ways to enhance bilateral cooperation between India and Sri Lanka in education and capacity building….reports Asian Lite News External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met Sri Lankan Prime Minister Harini

Yunus regime faces military heat

Army Chief, General Waker-uz-Zaman, is facing immense pressure from his officers, and this led him to cancel his visits to India and Saudi Arabia….reports Asian Lite News A major showdown is looming

India, Uganda vow deeper ties

Minister of State Kirti Vardhan Singh met Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni on Thursday to discuss strengthening India–Uganda ties….reports Asian Lite News Union Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh met
Go toTop

Don't Miss

VFS Global to deliver UK visa and passport services across 142 countries

With the UK being a sought-after destination for travelers globally,

Record Loan Defaults: Millions Blacklisted in China

They are in debt due to the loans they took