Liz Truss warns the West is already in a Cold War with China as she makes controversial visit to Taiwan – with Beijing accusing ex-PM of a ‘dangerous political show’
- Liz Truss urged Rishi Sunak to act urgently to protect Taiwan from aggression
- Read more: Liz Truss brands China ‘threat to free world’ ahead of Taiwan visit
The West is already embroiled in a new Cold War with China as the communist state continues a massive military build-up alongside its economic might, Liz Truss warned today.
The former PM used a controversial visit to Taiwan to make a punchy speech about confronting and countering Beijing’s political and economic might.
She urged Rishi Sunak to formally designate China as a ‘threat’ to the UK, as she warned that the West must act ‘urgently’ to protect Taiwan from aggression. The island state is claimed by China.
Speaking at the Prospect Foundation think tank, she said: ‘There are many in the West who say we don’t want another Cold War. But we have to be clear that this is not a choice that we are in a position to make.
‘Because China has already embarked on a self-reliance drive, whether we want to decouple from the economy or not.
‘China is growing its navy at an alarming rate. It is undertaking the biggest military build-up in peacetime history.
‘They’ve already formed alliances with other nations that want to see the free world in decline. They have already made their choice about their strategy.’
But her speech came as Beijing attacked her decision to become one of the most high profile politicians to visit Taipei.
After Nancy Pelosi, then-speaker of the US House of Representatives, visited Taiwan last year, China staged a naval and air force blockade of Taiwan, cutting off channels of communication with Washington on issues from environmental protection to maritime security.
Before Ms Truss stood up to make her speech, the Chinese embassy to the UK issued a statement warning that Ms Truss’ speech would ‘harm’ Britain, labelling it a ‘provocative move’.
The former PM used a controversial visit to Taiwan to make a punchy speech about confronting and countering Beijing’s political and economic might.
China claims Taiwan as its own territory and has threatened to annex the island by force. Pictured, president Xi Jinping
After Nancy Pelosi, then-speaker of the US House of Representatives, visited Taiwan last year, China staged a naval and air force blockade of Taiwan
It urged her to stop defending Taiwanese independence or else ‘further expose herself as a failed politician and get more backlash from the Chinese people’.
‘British politician Liz Truss’s recent visit to Taiwan is a dangerous political show which will do nothing but harm to the UK,’ an embassy spokesman said.
‘Any violation of the one-China principle will have serious consequences for China-UK relations.’
Taiwan and China split in 1949 following a civil war that ended with the Communist Party in control of the mainland.
The island has never been part of the People’s Republic of China, but Beijing says it must unite with the mainland, by force if necessary.
In a speech in Taipei, the former PM challenged her successor Rishi Sunak to deliver on tough commitments he made during last year’s Conservative leadership contest – including clamping down on the network of Confucius Institutes teaching Chinese language and culture.
‘Last summer, the new British Prime Minister described China as the biggest long-term threat in Britain and he said that the Confucius Institutes should be closed,’ she said.
‘He was right and we need to see those policies enacted urgently.
She said the UK’s Integrated Review, an outline of the Government’s national security and international policy, needs to be amended to ‘state clearly that China is a threat’.
In Government, Mr Sunak has adopted a policy of ‘robust pragmatism’ towards Beijing.
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said last month that engaging in a ‘new Cold War’ with China would damage the UK’s interests by making it harder to co-operate on issues such as global warming.
But Ms Truss last night said it was impossible to trust China’s communist leadership. ‘There are still too many in the West who are trying to cling on to the idea that we can cooperate with China on issues like climate change, as if there is nothing wrong; that there are bigger issues than Chinese global dominance or the future of freedom and democracy,’ she said.
‘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. You can’t believe a word they say.’
She added: ‘There are those who say they don’t want another Cold War. But this is not a choice we are in a position to make – because China has already embarked on a self-reliance drive, whether we want to decouple from their economy or not. China is growing its navy at an alarming rate and is undertaking the biggest military build-up in peacetime history…
‘The only choice we have is whether we appease and accommodate – or we take action to prevent conflict.’
Ms Truss’s visit has angered Beijing, which insists the island state is part of China and is feared to be gearing up to invade it.
She has also faced criticism at home, with senior Tory MP Alicia Kearns accusing her of engaging in ‘Instagram diplomacy of the worst kind’. But she has said Taiwan’s government, which invited her, is best placed to judge whether her intervention will help.
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