UK ex-PM Liz Truss pocketed US$100,000 for 4-hour Taiwan engagement
- Britain’s shortest-serving prime minister was paid by Taiwanese think tank, the Prospect Foundation
- She delivered a speech in May that slammed China and accused Europe of failing to stand by Taiwan
Former British Prime Minister Liz Truss earned £80,000 (US$101,600) in four hours this year during a visit to the self-ruled island of Taiwan that drew criticism from within her own Conservative Party.
The UK’s shortest-serving prime minister received the payment from Taiwanese think tank, the Prospect Foundation, according to the UK parliamentary register of members’ financial interests.
Truss addressed the organisation in May, delivering a speech in Taipei that slammed China and accused Europe of failing to stand by the self-ruled island that Beijing claims as its own territory.
“There are still too many in the West who are trying to cling on to the idea that we can cooperate with China”, she said. “You can’t believe a word they say”, Truss added, referring to authoritarian regimes.
By comparison, when the British politician travelled to the US to deliver a speech to the Washington-based conservative think tank, the Heritage Foundation, in April she was only compensated for her expenses, according to the register. Those expenditures were estimated to total some £7,600 (US$9,600).