On a controversial journey to Taiwan, Liz Truss, Britain’s prime minister for 44 tempestuous days, met President Tsai Ing-wen on Friday and known as for an “economic NATO” to counter Chinese coercion.
Ms. Truss’s go to has been denounced by Beijing, which claims the self-governed island as its territory. China opposes visits to Taiwan by overseas politicians, even fallen ones like Ms. Truss, who resigned final yr after the shortest tenure of any British prime minister. And even some members of Ms. Truss’s personal Conservative Party urged her journey was unnecessarily provocative — “the worst kind of Instagram diplomacy,” stated one.
Taiwan’s authorities has nonetheless handled Ms. Truss’s five-day go to as a small however welcome gesture of assist within the face of Beijing’s tightening political isolation of the island democracy. Taiwan now has solely 13 formal diplomatic companions — most states have shifted recognition to Beijing — and Taiwan has more and more reached out to overseas lawmakers, suppose tanks and organizations to advertise its international standing.
“Taiwan and the United Kingdom are like-minded partners,” Ms. Tsai informed Ms. Truss once they met at Taiwan’s presidential workplace. “Together we are working to advance freedom and democracy around the world.”
As she had earlier on her journey, Ms. Truss stated in her assembly with Ms. Tsai that nations ought to band collectively and type an “economic NATO”: a bloc united in opposition to coercion by China and different authoritarian governments. China has typically resorted to financial retaliation in diplomatic disputes with different nations, imposing punishing tariffs and casual embargoes on Australia, Norway, South Korea and different nations. (Beijing additionally faces commerce and know-how restrictions imposed by the United States and its allies.)
“What has been achieved here in Taiwan must be protected, and the international community and international free democracies must support you in your endeavors,” Ms. Truss informed Ms. Tsai.
The Chinese Embassy in Britain, in a press release on Wednesday known as Ms. Truss’s go to “a dangerous political show.” While the complete measure of China’s response to the journey, which ends Saturday, remained to be seen, it appeared unlikely to transcend offended phrases.
Last yr, China launched large-scale army workout routines close to Taiwan after Nancy Pelosi, then the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, visited Taipei. But Britain is much much less consequential than the United States in supporting Taiwan. As House speaker, Ms. Pelosi held a robust function in policymaking in Washington; against this, Ms. Truss was unceremoniously pushed from energy.
China’s chief, Xi Jinping, has additionally been targeted this yr on bettering relations with European nations, together with Britain, as he tries to thwart the Biden administration’s efforts to construct a global coalition in opposition to Beijing.
The final former British prime minister to go to Taiwan was Ms. Truss’s political idol, Margaret Thatcher, in 1992. Taiwan was prepared to look previous competition in Britain over Ms. Truss, stated Chen Fang-yu, an assistant politics professor at Soochow University in Taipei.
“Taiwan really needs more of this kind of attention from every country, because only if more people visit Taiwan and more speak up for Taiwan, will the Chinese Communist Party realize that many people are paying attention to Taiwan, and so they should not act rashly,” he stated in an interview.
This week, Taiwan additionally launched a push for worldwide assist to rejoin the World Health Organization and attend the World Health Assembly that opens on Sunday. Taiwan was an observer within the group from 2009 to 2016, however China blocked its participation after Ms. Tsai was elected president.
And on Thursday, the Biden administration emphasised U.S. assist for Taiwan by saying that it had concluded its first settlement underneath a commerce initiative begun final yr. The settlement will scale back pink tape for companies transport items between the 2 sides and promote commerce by small companies.
Ms. Truss’s journey has additionally come as Taiwan is getting ready to carry a presidential election in January, when voters will select a successor for Ms. Tsai, who should step down.
On Thursday, Ms. Truss met Lai Ching-te, the vice chairman of Taiwan, who’s the presidential candidate of Ms. Tsai’s Democratic Progressive Party. That occasion favors asserting Taiwan’s separateness from China, and its formal platform requires establishing Taiwan “as a sovereign, independent and autonomous nation,” a aim that’s anathema to Beijing. Mr. Lai used his assembly with Ms. Truss on Thursday to amplify that message of standing tall in opposition to Chinese strain.
But Alexander C. Huang, a professor at Tamkang University in Taipei who advises Taiwan’s opposition Nationalist Party, stated that the Nationalists would additionally welcome guests like Ms. Truss. The Nationalists preserve that they’ll create extra steady relations with China, whereas retaining Taiwan near the United States and its allies. The Nationalists anointed their candidate for the presidency, Hou Yu-ih, this week.
“Taiwan has no influence over the domestic issues of a friendly country,” Mr. Huang stated, referring to Britain. “We just want to have more international attention and visibility.”
John Liu contributed reporting from Seoul.
Source: www.nytimes.com