Truss calls on the G7 to agree to sanctions against China in the event of an escalation of the conflict in Taiwan

Liz Truss is expected to urge G7 leaders to urgently agree a package of sanctions to be applied against China in case of further military escalation around Taiwan.

The former prime minister is due to speak on Friday at a conference in Japan organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), an international campaign group that seeks to coordinate a democratic response to Beijing.

It will be Ms Truss’s first public speech since her short and stormy tenure as prime minister, which ended last October, and is seen as addressing growing concerns about China’s approach to Taiwan and the implications for free trade in Indo-Pacific region.

The Tory MP, who also previously served as foreign secretary, is expected to outline six policy recommendations, including a call for the G7 to urgently agree a coordinated package of sanctions to be used against Beijing in the event of further military escalation over Taiwan.

It is also expected to recommend the creation of an economic equivalent of NATO’s military alliance for democracies should they need to respond to economic duress, for democracies to audit and reduce reliance on China in critical industries, and deepen economic ties with Taiwan.

Taiwan’s acceptance into international organizations and the creation of a stronger Pacific defense alliance are also expected to be on Ms Truss’ wish list.

Ms. Truss should say: “Some people say that resisting this regime is a hopeless task, that somehow the rise of a totalitarian China is inevitable.

“But I reject this fatalism. And the free world has a big part to play in whether or not that happens — and how it happens.

“Not so long ago, Britain declared a ‘golden era’ of British-Chinese relations. We rolled out the red carpet for the President of China – with all the pomp and ceremony that befits a state visit.

“I should know – I was at the banquet in his honor. Looking back, I think it sent the wrong message.”

In Taiwan, she is expected to say: “We must learn from the past. We must make sure that Taiwan is able to defend itself. And we have to work together around the world to do that.”

Taiwan has its own democratically elected government, but the island is also claimed by the Chinese Communist Party government.

Britain and the US do not officially recognize Taiwan as a sovereign state, but both countries have called for a peaceful solution to the dispute, and Britain supports Taiwan’s participation in international organizations as an observer.

Amid growing international concern over escalating tensions, China recently conducted large-scale military exercises that some see as preparations for a blockade or invasion.

The implementation of a tougher stance on China was widely expected under Ms Truss, but with her time as prime minister ending so quickly amid economic and political turmoil, she has fallen short of hopes of re-appointing China.” threat”.

Her re-engagement in the debate comes as her successor, Prime Minister Rishi Sunakfaces calls from some of his own backbenchers to take a tougher stance on China.

Earlier this month, one ally of Ms Truss said her speech would be “hawkish” and added: “She is expected to address Sunak’s decision to call China a strategic competitor rather than a threat.”

In November, Mr Sunak said the “golden era” of UK-China relations was over, but described the nation as a “systemic challenge” rather than a threat.

Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith is a member of IPAC and criticized earlier this week Govt after it became known, officials were willing to meet with Erkin Tuniyaz, the governor of the northwestern province of Xinjiang, who had been accused of genocide. Now it has become known that the governor’s trip has been cancelled.

Ms Truss’s intervention will increase pressure on Mr Sunak to take a tougher line at a time when the former prime minister’s allies are also pushing for the party to review its tax cut agenda.

Two other former prime ministers of Australia, Scott Morrison and Belgium’s Guy Verhofstadt are also expected to speak at the conference in Japan.