Truss in Taiwan warns of new Cold War with China
Spectator (UK)Nov 26, 2022
The Facts
Former British Prime Minister Liz Truss on Wednesday called for the West to choose between appeasing Beijing or taking action to prevent war, arguing that a new Cold War has already started.
Speaking at the Taiwanese think tank Prospect Foundation as part of her five-day visit to the self-ruling island, she urged free nations to commit themselves to a free Taiwan and work together to create an "economic NATO" to counter China.
The Spin
Anti-China narrative
It should be obvious to everyone right now that China cannot be trusted to follow the rules. Free and democratic nations must cooperate to protect Taiwan in the face of a PRC blockade or invasion as the future of the self-ruling island is intertwined with core Western values. Similar to the Ukraine War, the West has a collective responsibility to back Taiwan and hold Beijing accountable for its wrongdoing.
Pro-China narrative
This flagrant interference in China's domestic affairs has been a full-blown fiasco — both to the shortest-serving prime minister ever in the UK and to Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party authorities. Truss has become a troublemaker criticized even by her Conservative allies. Posturing as "getting tough with Beijing" can only aggravate internal problems in the West.
