TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) announced on Tuesday (May 9) that former British Prime Minister Liz Truss will visit Taiwan on May 16-20.

Truss will deliver a keynote speech at the Prospect Foundation on Wednesday (May 17) and meet senior government members, per a press release from Liz Truss.

Her visit follows a flurry of speeches she delivered about how Western democracies should toughen their stance on China. Truss made similar remarks to the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China in Tokyo on Feb. 3 and the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C. on April 12.

”Taiwan is a beacon of freedom and democracy. I’m looking forward to showing solidarity with the Taiwanese people in person in the face of increasingly aggressive behavior and rhetoric from the regime in Beijing,” Truss said in a press release.

MOFA welcomes a visit by Truss as she has demonstrated her firm support of Taiwan both during her short tenure as prime minister and as foreign secretary from 2021-2022, in which she stressed the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, per CNA.

In April 2022, Truss said democratic regimes such as Taiwan should have the ability to defend themselves. She also reiterated the point during a NATO summit in June 2022 that Taiwan's security is not only associated with military security but is also related to economic security.

MOFA said that after Truss stepped down as prime minister, she still voiced her support for Taiwan, calling on the free world to do everything possible to support Taiwan and ensure that it receives support for self-defense and freedom.

Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher visited Taiwan twice, in 1992 and 1996. Truss's visit marks the first time in 27 years a former British prime minister has visited the democratic country.