China is preparing for war – and the West is preparing to surrender
Story by Con Coughlin • Yesterday 3:00 AM
Given the turmoil that surrounded Liz Truss’s short spell as prime minister, it is easy to overlook that, during the time she previously served as foreign secretary in Boris Johnson’s government, she acquitted herself well when tackling major global issues. While her predilection for photo-ops, such as posing in a tank, Margaret Thatcher-style, during a trip to Estonia in 2021, could cause toe-curling embarrassment, more often than not she had the right instincts on the big foreign policy calls she made on her watch.
She was robust in defending Ukrainian sovereignty in the wake of Russia’s invasion, and won plaudits for rallying support among European allies for imposing sanctions on Moscow. She also took a tough line on Britain’s feud with the EU over post-Brexit trading arrangements, so much so that at one point she topped the poll of Conservative voters’ favourite politician.
China, and the long-term challenge Beijing poses to Britain’s wellbeing, was another issue that was a central feature of Truss’s global outlook. Utterly refuting the Cameron/Osborne vision of establishing a new “golden era” in relations with Beijing, she wanted to make a declaration to the effect that China constituted a “threat” to Britain’s national security. She maintained this stance after becoming prime minister, even going so far as to call for the formation of an “economic Nato” to counter Beijing’s financial might.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/china-is-preparing-for-war-and-the-west-is-preparing-to-surrender/ar-AA1bl82E
