According to her office, former British Prime Minister Liz Truss is scheduled to visit Taiwan next week to meet senior members of the government, which may provoke

China amidst strains in its relationship with the current British government. China has criticized previous visits by British lawmakers to Taiwan, claiming that they interfere with China's internal affairs.

Truss, who held the office for a brief period from September to November last year, has been advocating for a more stringent stance towards China since leaving office. During her visit to Taiwan on May 17, she will deliver a speech and express solidarity with the Taiwanese people in the face of Beijing's increasingly aggressive behavior and rhetoric.

The UK has cautioned against the use of military force by China against Taiwan, but China's foreign ministry has claimed that the greatest threat to peace in the Taiwan Strait is the separatist activities of Taiwan's independence and the support of foreign forces.

Truss' brief premiership contributed to a downturn in Britain-China relations, but her successor, Rishi Sunak, is seeking to engage with China where possible while also expressing concerns about areas of disagreement. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, who served under Truss and Sunak, has reportedly expressed Britain's views on issues including Taiwan in a meeting with Chinese Vice President Han Zheng on Friday, and he is expected to visit China this year.

A spokesperson for Sunak stated that it was up to individual lawmakers to decide where they wished to travel, and that while the UK has no official diplomatic relations with Taiwan, it maintains a robust unofficial relationship. The UK government will continue to engage with the Chinese government on the issue of Taiwan, according to the spokesperson. Photo by Prime Minister's Office, Wikimedia commons.