Truss issues new warning to China over Taiwan
The Foreign Secretary said any attempt by Beijing to seize the self-governing island would be a ‘catastrophic miscalculation’.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has issued a warning to China that any attempt to invade Taiwan would be a “catastrophic miscalculation”.
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 Ukraine.
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.
“We’ve seen increased collaboration between Russia and China and we know that China is watching Ukraine closely,” she said.
This isn't just about hard security. It is about economic security
“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,” she said.
“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.”
Taiwan has been self-governing since nationalist forces fled there in 1949 after the communists took control of China, and is considered to be a rebel province by Beijing.
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.”
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.