Liz Truss will urge the West to step up support for Taiwan in the face of Chinese aggression during a visit to the self-ruled island, the first visit by a former British prime minister in nearly three decades..

“It is absolutely irresponsible for European countries to wash their hands of the Taiwan issue,” Truss said in a speech Wednesday in Taipei, warning of China’s recent military buildup.. “The only choice we have is either we calm down and adjust, or we take action to prevent conflict.”.

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This is just Truss' latest intervention in China since she left 10 Downing Street in October after a disastrous and record-breaking 49-day premiership that rocked the financial market and sparked political upheaval..

Her aggressive stance on Beijing runs counter to attempts by her successor, Rishi Sunak, to rebuild ties with the world's second-largest economy, and her visit to Taiwan drew criticism from members of his ruling Conservative Party..

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A recent review of British security policy did not label China as a strategic threat, but that has disappointed those Tories who say Britain's engagement with Beijing has failed - a faction that Truss is a part of.. In Taipei, she will demand changes to the review to "

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The comments come at an awkward moment for Sunak, who has faced constant criticism in recent weeks, especially from the Tory right.. The party has lost more than 1,000 seats in local elections this month and trails the opposition Labor Party by an ambiguous margin in national polls.. The Prime Minister travels to the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan on Wednesday.

“There are still too many in the West who try to cling to the idea that we can cooperate with China on issues like climate change, like there’s nothing wrong with that.; that there are bigger problems than China's global dominance," “We know what happens to the environment or the health of the world under totalitarian regimes that do not tell the truth.. You can't believe a single word they say."

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Taiwan may become a new hotspot on the geopolitical map of the world.

Taiwan routinely welcomes visits from overseas political and business delegations amid growing fears the island could become a hotspot as ties between China and the US deteriorate. A visit by then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in August angered Beijing officials, who responded by ordering an unprecedented series of military exercises around the island..

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Truss is expected to meet with senior members of the Taiwanese government. " "