Former Prime Minister Liz Truss has called for ties with Taiwan to be boosted to combat threats from China, ahead of May’s G7 summit in Hiroshima.
In a speech in Tokyo, she urged countries to send a message to Beijing that “military aggression towards Taiwan would be a strategic mistake”.
It was her first public speech since she resigned in October.
Her successor Rishi Sunak has said China should be dealt with through “robust pragmatism”.
Ms Truss, who was previously foreign secretary, put forward a number of policy recommendations for countries to support Taiwan, including reducing reliance on China in key industries, deepening economic ties with Taiwan, and accepting the self-ruled island into international organisations.
She also called for a more developed Pacific defence alliance so that Taiwan “is able to defend itself”, and closer cooperation with Nato, adding that, “countries should find a way to elevate Taiwan’s status”.
Her speech was organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, an international campaign group that focuses on how democratic countries approach China.
The Japanese government said this week it would review its defence policy in the wake of the alleged Chinese spy balloon episode in the US.
Asked about Ms Truss’s comments, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said: “I have yet to see the speech. But we are against distorting facts about China.”
He added: “The Taiwan question is China’s domestic affair. Allegations of economic coercion from China are unfounded.”
BBC/Taiwo Akinola
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