Truss Calls for Strengthening of Pacific Defense Alliance Against China

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Former UK Prime Minister Liz Truss called for further development of a Pacific defense alliance on Friday in order to counter China and support Taiwan, as well as ensure peace in the region.

"We must ensure that Taiwan is able to defend itself. And we must work together across the free world to do this. I would like to see a more developed Pacific defense alliance alongside even closer cooperation between NATO and our Pacific allies," Truss said at a session of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China in Tokyo.

The former UK prime minister expressed confidence that building up such defense and economic links "will help protect Taiwan and protect freedom," while deeper economic integration between the island and other countries would prevent escalation of tensions in the region.

"The G7 represents over 40% of global nominal GDP – and if you add the EU, that's over half. Now that is a hugely powerful position to be in. That economic weight means that we can influence other countries. It means we can make decisions about how we trade, who we invest in, what technology we export - and we need to use that leverage to ensure that the G7 plus allies act as an economic NATO," Truss said.

She also urged the international community to agree on a package of coordinated defense, economic and political measures to support Taiwan.

The situation around Taiwan escalated after then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the island in early August. Beijing condemned Pelosi's trip, which it regarded as a gesture of support for separatism, and launched large-scale military exercises in the vicinity of the island. Despite this fact, several countries, including France, the US, Japan and others, have since sent their delegations to the island, further increasing tensions in the Taiwan Strait.

Taiwan has been governed independently from mainland China since 1949. Beijing views the island as its province, while Taiwan — a territory with its own elected government — maintains that it is an autonomous country but stops short of declaring independence. Beijing opposes any official contacts of foreign states with Taipei and considers Chinese sovereignty over the island indisputable.