Liz Truss says the West should follow Ukraine example and arm Taiwan to withstand a Chinese invasion with warning to Beijing that any attempt to seize island state would be a ‘catastrophic miscalculation’
- Ms Truss said Beijing was in danger of making the same mistake as Putin made
- Called for West to arm the self-governing island – which China has long claimed
- ‘Important’ that Taiwan ‘is able to defend itself’ in the face of Communist threat
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss warned China not to make the ‘catastrophic miscalculation’ of invading Taiwan today and called for the West to follow up its support for Ukraine with arms for the island state.
Speaking at the Nato summit in Madrid, Ms Truss said Beijing was in danger of making the same mistake that Russian President Vladimir Putin made in attacking his neighbour in February.
She reiterated her call for Western allies to arm the self-governing island – which China has long claimed – to ensure it has the means to defend itself in the event of an attack.
It followed her suggestion to MPs yesterday that Britain be personally involved in suppling weapons to Taipei.
‘We’ve seen increased collaboration between Russia and China and we know that China is watching Ukraine closely,’ she said in Madrid today.
‘I do think that with China extending its influence through economic coercion and building a capable military there is a real risk that they draw the wrong idea that results in a catastrophic miscalculation such as invading Taiwan.
‘That is exactly what we saw in the case of Ukraine – a strategic miscalculation by Putin. That is why it is important that the free world work together to help ensure that Taiwan is able to defend itself and stress the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.’
Speaking at the Nato summit in Madrid, Ms Truss said Beijing was in danger of making the same mistake that Russian President Vladimir Putin made in attacking his neighbour in February.
Taiwan – formally the Republic of China – has been self-governing since nationalist Chinese forces fled there in 1949 after the communists took control, and is considered to be a rebel province by Beijing.
Taiwan – formally the Republic of China – has been self-governing since nationalist Chinese forces fled there in 1949 after the communists took control, and is considered to be a rebel province by Beijing.
Britain currently has no defence or diplomatic ties with it. Officially the UK position has been to seek a ‘peaceful resolution’ between the countries. If embarked upon, Miss Truss’s plan would probably enrage the Chinese and leave relations between the two countries at an even lower level.
London and Beijing are already at odds over repression in Honk Kong, the treatment of Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang and the presence of tech firms like Huawei in the West.
Ms Truss said it was ‘very worrying’ that China has recently backed Argentina’s claims to sovereignty over the Falkland Islands as well making comments about Nato.
She said that Western nations needed to develop economic alternatives to China to ensure they do not become dependent on it in the way some countries are on Russian oil and gas.
‘This isn’t just about hard security. It is about economic security,’ she said.
‘I think the lesson we have learned from the Ukraine crisis is the increased dependency of Europe on Russian oil and gas contributed to a sense in which Russia felt enabled to invade Ukraine.
‘We also need to learn that lesson, I believe, with China of not becoming strategically dependent on China and in fact making sure that we have strong alternatives.
‘I think there are huge lessons that we can learn and we need to learn them as soon as possible.’
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