Liz Truss celebrates the suspension of US tariffs. Secretary of State for International Trade Liz Truss in her office inside the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office talks with the Acting United States Trade Representative Maria Pagan as they celebrates the suspension of US tariffs on Scottish Whisky. Picture by Andrew Parsons / No 10 Downing Street
China warned about the danger of sending the “wrong signal” to Taiwanese “separatists,” as it accused the US of interference…reports Asian Lite News
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss on Wednesday suggested supplying defensive weaponry to Taiwan to counter China’s aggression well in advance to prevent a Ukraine war-like scenario. She renewed her calls for NATO to “make clear to China” that invading Taiwan like Russia invaded Ukraine would be “a catastrophic miscalculation” in Asia.
She suggested that the Alliance must boost security in the Indo-Pacific region in order to protect Taiwan against China well in advance. She had also earlier echoed similar statements during a speech on the UK’s foreign policy conference, asserting that Britain rejects “the false choice between Euro-Atlantic security and Indo-Pacific security” in favour of “a global NATO.”
Truss’ suggestion comes as China’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian reiterated Beijing’s concerns about US intervention in Taiwan, a threat to its ‘one China’ policy and urged that it ceases all official interaction with the self-administered island nation. China warned about the danger of sending the “wrong signal” to Taiwanese “separatists,” as it accused the US of interference.
Earlier, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida had warned of a Ukraine-like invasion in East Asia, saying that the whole region could witness a stability issue due to rising military might of China, Russia’s ally. The Taiwan Strait must be maintained, Kishida said, adding that the countries in East Asia must respond as “one” and remain united in the face of the rising belligerence.
Speaking earlier in London via a translator Kishida said, “Collaboration among countries sharing universal values becomes ever more vital.” We must collaborate with our allies and like-minded countries, and never tolerate a unilateral attempt to change the status quo by the use of force in the Indo Pacific, especially in East Asia,” said the Japanese Prime Minister. “Ukraine may be East Asia tomorrow,” he warned.
His remarks came as Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi challenged the United States for interfering in the Taiwan issue, and warned against bolstering ties with the island nation. Yi accused US President Joe Biden of trying to “establish a new version of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in the Indo-Pacific region.”
She also called for Ukraine to have increased access to Nato military equipment…reports Asian Lite News
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has said Russian President Vladimir Putin is “humiliating himself on the world stage” and called for tougher sanctions on Moscow.
Speaking at a G7 meeting, she says sanctions should not be eased until all Russian troops have left Ukraine, the BBC reported.
Truss also called for more weapons to be sent to Ukraine to bolster its defence. She told a meeting of G7 foreign ministers in Germany that Putin must face a defeat that prevents further aggression, the BBC reported.
“Putin is humiliating himself on the world stage,” she said, adding that he must be denied any benefit from his invasion of Ukraine.
She also called for Ukraine to have increased access to Nato military equipment.
G7 foreign ministers will meet again on Friday with their Ukrainian and Moldovan counterparts.
The UK Foreign Secretary has urged world leaders to continue to put pressure on Putin by imposing further international sanctions on Russia and supplying more weapons to Ukraine.
The G7 foreign ministers have been meeting in Germany over the last three days to discuss the war in Ukraine and its impact, particularly the increase of food and energy prices around the world.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said the debt with Iran was “legitimate”…reports Asian Lite News
News agencies quoting Iran’s Fars says the British government was forced to release £380 million to free British-Iranian prisoners.
Earlier, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss told BBC that securing the freedom of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe along with other dual national detainees – Mr Anoosheh Ashoori and Morad Tahbaz – was “an absolute priority”.
A £400m debt relating to a cancelled order for 1,500 Chieftain tanks dating back to the 1970s had been linked to the continued detention of Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe and other UK-Iranian dual nationals held in the country – although the government has said the two issues should not be linked.
Today’s best news: Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has had her British passport returned to her. Her daughter is seven years older. Sadly, Iranian government have deprived her of her mother for seven years. I hope the family are united this week.#FreeNazanin#NazaninZaghariRatcliffepic.twitter.com/YyTljvOe3S
Ms Truss said the debt was “legitimate” and that the government was “looking for ways to pay” it.
#FREE NAZANIN campaign thanked Tulip Siddiq MP, Labour’s MP for Hampstead and Kilburn in London, for her relentless efforts to get freedom for the detained aid worker from London.
“You have made a difference @TulipSiddiq! Thanks for all the amazing support you have given to #FreeNazanin over these 6 long years.”
The jubilant MP said: Nazanin is at the airport in Tehran and on her way home. I came into politics to make a difference, and right now I’m feeling like I have.
London’s Labour Mayor Mayor Sadiq Khan also welcomed the news.
“I’m delighted to hear that Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is on her way home to be reunited with her family,” he said. “Nazanin and her loved ones have shown great courage, strength and steadfastness through this unimaginably difficult time. London looks forward to welcoming her home.”
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said it was “an incredible moment” for Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe and her family after an “unimaginable ordeal”. He added that there would be questions to be answered about “what happened along the way”, but at present his thoughts were with the family.
I am very pleased to confirm that the unfair detention of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori in Iran has ended today, and they will now return to the UK.
Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested in 2016 – accused of plotting to overthrow Iran’s government, which she denied. Ashoori was arrested in 2017 and accused of spying, which he denied.
Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe had been under house arrest and was given her UK passport back this week. er husband Richard Ratcliffe, who lives with their six-year-old daughter Gabriella in Hampstead, London, has not yet commented. He had campaigned for her release, including by going on hunger strike in October last year.
Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s sister-in-law Rebecca Ratcliffe told BBC News it was an “emotional day”.
“It feels like we’re on the home run now but until she leaves that airport we can’t believe it,” she said, adding that she had spoken to Mr Ratcliffe.
She said Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe had been picked up and taken to the airport with her parents, who were not allowed in a holding room with her because she was “still under Iranian control in the airport”.
Nazanin, 37-year-old charity worker, was on holiday visiting her family in Iran. She was at the airport returning to the UK on the 3rd April when she was detained by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. She has been transferred to an unknown location in Kerman Province, 1,000 kilometres south of Tehran, and is being held in solitary confinement. There have been no charges. Nazanin has informed her family that she has been required to sign a confession under duress, its content unknown. Her family have been informed that the investigation relates to an issue of ‘national security’.
Nazanin currently works as a project manager for the Thomson-Reuters Foundation; which delivers charitable projects around the world.
Truss is the second UK cabinet minister to contract coronavirus, after the UK’s Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi who earlier confirmed his positive diagnosis on Sunday…reports Asian Lite News
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss on Tuesday, Feb 1 tested positive for COVID-19 shortly after she made a speech in the House of Commons about Russia, the latter informed on Twitter.”Thankfully I’ve had my three jabs and will be working from home while I isolate,” Truss said, as she informed that she has isolated as per the COVID-19 appropriate protocols. UK’s foreign secretary was scheduled to make a crucial trip to Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, as tensions over Russia’s military build-up at the border. Prime Minister Boris Johnson will still travel to take stock of the emerging situation.
Truss is the second UK cabinet minister to contract coronavirus, after the UK’s Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi who earlier confirmed his positive diagnosis on Sunday. Truss addressed the House of Commons, earlier in the day as she vouched for tough crippling sanctions against the Russian individuals for flaring tensions with Ukraine. She was seated just three seats away from UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson without a mask as he answered questions about Sue Gray’s report on Partygate scandals.
It remains unclear at this time if someone else came in contact with the UK’s foreign secretary. Truss was separated by Home Secretary Priti Patel, who was also seen mask-less, and Chancellor Rishi Sunak, who was wearing a mask the whole time at the House of Commons. On Truss’ other side, Health Secretary Sajid Javid was seated who was seen wearing a face covering. UK’s foreign secretary had also attended meeting of hundreds of Conservative MPs earlier in the day, according to Sky News.
I tested positive for Covid this evening.
Thankfully I’ve had my three jabs and will be working from home while I isolate.
Earlier yesterday, Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had informed that he has tested positive for COVID-19 and that he was in good health and would continue to work remotely while adhering to public health norms. Trudeau was placed in seclusion last week when one of his children tested positive. He also urged people to be “vaccinated and boosted.”Canada PM Justin Trudeau wrote on Twitter, “This morning, I tested positive for COVID-19. I’m feeling fine ‘ and I’ll continue to work remotely this week while following public health guidelines. Everyone, please get vaccinated and get boosted.”
Liz Truss is the second favourite at 22/5. The others in the running as per the betting opportunities are senior backbench MP Jeremy Hunt, who put up a good fight against Johnson in the Conservative party leadership contest in 2019, reports Ashis Ray
Rishi Sunak, the Indian-origin Chancellor of the Exchequer, is tipped as the bookmakers’ favourite to succeed the current incumbent Boris Johnson as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
The odds on Sunak are 9/4, according to Oddschecker, a comparison site compiling prices from leading British bookmakers.
Liz Truss, the present Foreign Secretary, is the second favourite at 22/5. The others in the running as per the betting opportunities are senior backbench MP and former foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt, who put up a good fight against Johnson in the Conservative party leadership contest in 2019. He is quoted at 11/1.
Sunak and Truss have been neck-and-neck for a while in public opinion surveys. On Wednesday, when Johnson tendered a conditional apology (because he apologised for the function, but not for his presence at it or for its illegality under prevailing legislation) in the House of Commons for his office holding a drinks party at his 10 Downing Street garden during the height of the Covid-19 lockdown in the UK in May 2020, Truss sat next to him, often nodding her head in support of the statement. On the other hand, the Chancellor was conspicuously absent from Parliament, 225 miles away from London in southwestern English county of Devon.
PM Boris Johnson during a press conference. (Picture Simon Dawson No 10)
Political commentators saw this as Sunak distancing himself from Johnson. In the evening he tweeted: “I’ve been on a visit all day today continuing work on out #PlanFor Jobs as well as meeting MPs to discuss the energy situation.” He added: “The PM was right to apologise and I support his request for patience while Sue Gray (a senior civil servant) carries out her enquiry.”
A YouGov poll carried out within hours of Johnson’s apology indicated 89 per cent of respondents did not accept his expression of contrition, while only 4 per cent supported it. The rest didn’t have an opinion.
Sunak is of East African Punjabi origin. His father has been a general practitioner and his mother a pharmacist in the southern English coastal city of Southampton since they migrated to Britain. He is also the son-in-law of N.R. Narayan Murthy, one of the founders of the software giant Infosys. He was educated at Winchester school, Oxford and Stanford Universities. An MP for less than seven years, his rise up the Conservative political ladder has been meteoric.
A powerful body within the Conservative parliamentary party known as the 1922 Committee has to receive 54 letters from its party’s MPs (out of around 365) to call for a leadership contest. As Johnson fights to save his political career, the big question is when will such a battle take place?
He expressed discontent over the stricter measures recently introduced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson to cope with the Covid-19 pandemic…reports Asian Lite News.
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss will become lead negotiator with the European Union (EU) on the Northern Ireland Protocol, following the departure of Brexit minister David Frost, Downing Street has said.
Truss, while retaining her role as foreign secretary, will take over ministerial responsibility for UK’s relationship with the EU with immediate effect, it said.
In his resignation on Saturday, Frost said he’s concerned about “the current direction of travel” of the government.
He expressed discontent over the stricter measures recently introduced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson to cope with the Covid-19 pandemic.
“You took a brave decision in July, against considerable opposition, to open up the country again. Sadly, it did not prove to be irreversible,” Frost said.
Frost led the negotiations over the main Brexit deal with Brussels, but more recently had attempted to find a solution to the question of the border between Northern Ireland and the neighboring Republic of Ireland.
As part of Britain’s departure from the EU, a protocol was agreed which meant goods between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland could continue to be sent seamlessly across the border which is now the only EU frontier within the British Isles.
Instead, a border was created down the middle of the Irish Sea, which has been heavily criticised by businesses saying it has made it more difficult to send goods to Northern Ireland from the British mainland.
Truss will now lead the ongoing negotiations to resolve the problems arising from the current operation of the Northern Ireland Protocol, an issue that so far has proved difficult to resolve in both London and Brussels.
A leading UK’s daily commented that Truss’s appointment will be seen as a steadying move after Frost’s resignation dealt a body blow to an already weakened prime minister, reeling from sleaze scandals and the loss of the by-election in North Shropshire on Friday.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, who is on a two-day trip to India, has met External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar and said that partnership with India is absolutely crucial, reports Asian Lite Newsdesk
External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Friday met British foreign secretary Liz Truss and did a comprehensive review of the bilateral relations, which included gauging the progress of Roadmap 2030.
Both Ministers undertook a detailed review of the Roadmap 2030 launched during the India-UK Virtual Summit held on 4 May, 2021, External Affairs Ministry (EAM) said in a statement.
India and UK Roadmap 2030 aimed to elevate the India-UK relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) and this will also guide cooperation for the next 10 years covering all aspects of our multi-faceted relations.
After the meeting, the ministers appreciated the progress so far on the implementation of the Roadmap despite the constraints posed by the pandemic.
Glad to welcome UK Foreign Secretary @trussliz to Delhi.Just completed a comprehensive review of our relationship.
Roadmap 2030 is progressing well. The pillars on Trade and Prosperity, People to People relationship, Defence and Security, Climate & Health are all moving forward. pic.twitter.com/ww7KuhdlJZ
“There was detailed discussions focused on enhancing cooperation in the key priority areas of trade and investments, people-to-people relationship, health partnership, climate change, science & innovation and defence & security,” said MEA.
Both Ministers welcomed the progress in delivering the Enhanced Trade Partnership announced at the Virtual Summit and underlined the need for launching FTA negotiations at the earliest, with a focus on negotiating an interim agreement that can deliver quick gains to businesses in both India and the UK.
Both Ministers also discussed the Migration and Mobility Partnership and the Global Innovation Partnership and committed to their early implementation.
They also acknowledged the establishment of new dialogue mechanisms for discussing consular issues and maritime security. Both sides also agreed on instituting the India-UK Strategic Futures Forum Track, a new 1.5 Dialogue mechanism to foster expert deliberations on long-term strategic links between the two countries.
During her stay in New Delhi, Truss also met the Minister of Finance, Nirmala Sitharaman and the Minister of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav.
Truss and Sitharaman discussed “mutual areas of interest” including investments in green energy, infrastructure and National Monetization Pipeline.
In a series of tweets, the Ministry of Finance said, “Union Finance Minister Smt. @nsitharaman held a meeting with UK Foreign Secretary Ms @trussliz to discuss mutual areas of interest in New Delhi today.”
🇬🇧🇮🇳 India is our great friend, an economic powerhouse and the world’s largest democracy. Our relationship will be vital over the coming decades. Good meeting @DrSJaishankar to discuss closer collaboration on:
“Finance Minister cited the close collaboration between the two countries, strengthened through the Comprehensive Strategy Partnership adopted by the Prime Ministers of India and UK in May 2021,” said the ministry in another tweet.
“Finance Minister Smt. @nsitharaman and Ms @trussliz discussed investments in green energy, infrastructure, National Monetization Pipeline, FinTech and IFSCA as key areas for further collaboration between UK and India,” stated the ministry.
After meeting EAM Jaishankar, the foreign secretary said that partnership with India is absolutely crucial.
“I am delighted to make this one of my early priorities as Foreign Secretary and indeed our second meeting together. It is because we see our partnership with India as absolutely crucial. You believe in free enterprise and you believe in freedom,” said UK Foreign Secretary Elizabeth Truss.
Truss stressed that both countries should work together on the set plans for the future.
Honoured to visit the historic Lal Qila – a place where India celebrates its Independence Day. Delhi is a city steeped with history and the magnificent Red Fort is an integral part of it, symbolising a strong modern India 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/uZxe6xEqq3
“I think it’s very important that countries like ours act together on our shared plans for the future. We have a huge opportunity to deepen our relationship in a number of areas whether it’s security and defence, or technology, or health,” said Truss.
She also congratulated the nation on vaccinating 1 billion Indians in record time.
“Vaccination is a great area of collaboration between our two countries – the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine produced here at the Serum Institute. There’s so much more we can do in areas like sharing our expertise on the environment ahead of COP26,” added Truss.
She also said, “I am very much looking forward to positive discussions that will take our relationship forward.”
‘COP26 should be the COP of action, implementation’
Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav has assured India’s full support to the UK during their United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP) presidency and said that the upcoming Glasgow Climate Change Conference (COP 26) should be the COP of action and implementation.
As per the press note released by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, crucial matters like COP26, UK COP26 initiatives, India UK Roadmap-bilateral cooperation, Commonwealth Declaration on Climate Change, and other related issues were discussed.
In the meeting, Yadav said “The huge expectations in COP 26 include arriving at a consensus on unresolved issues of the Paris Agreement Rule Book, long-term climate finance, market-based mechanisms, etc.”
“Stressing that COP26 should also initiate the process of setting the long-term climate finance for the post-2025 period, Yadav stated that India welcomes the UK COP 26 Presidency’s five key initiatives on sustainable land use, energy transition, low emission vehicle transition, climate finance, and adaptation,” says the release.
As per the note, both sides underlined the need for strengthening bilateral partnership and collaboration to facilitate the collective R&D of cutting-edge technologies and the transfer of proven technologies to drive low carbon pathways. (ANI)
But France, whose own submarine deal with Australia was thwarted as a result of the AUKUS partnership, has criticised the agreement…reports Asian Lite News.
Liz Truss, new Foreign Secretary, on Sunday said the UK’s new security agreement with the US and Australia will make it safer and could create hundreds of new jobs.
The trilateral security and defence partnership, known as Aukus, will see Australia being given the technology to build nuclear-powered submarines.
Foreign Secretary said it showed the UK’s readiness to be “hard-headed” in defending its interests, the BBC reported.
But France, whose own submarine deal with Australia was thwarted as a result of the AUKUS partnership, has criticised the agreement.
Following the development, Paris has recalled its ambassadors in the US and Australia for consultations in response, while China has accused the three powers of having a “Cold War mentality”, it reported.
Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, Truss said the partnership showed the UK’s commitment to stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
She wrote: “Freedoms need to be defended, so we are also building strong security ties around the world.
“This is about more than foreign policy in the abstract, but delivering for people across the UK and beyond by partnering with like-minded countries to build coalitions based on shared values and shared interests.”
Meanwhile, Truss has arrived in US for a four-day visit to New York and Washington DC – the first official visit in her new role.
Along with the Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Truss will meet President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, as well as attending High Level Week of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
Speaking ahead of the visit Truss said: “I’m delighted my first international visit as Foreign Secretary is to the United States – the UK’s closest and most important partner. At the UN General Assembly, I look forward to convening global leaders to tackle the major issues of the day and projecting a positive, outward-looking Global Britain that delivers for people across the United Kingdom.”
