Truss hits out at China’s ‘inflammatory’ reaction to Pelosi’s Taiwan visit

Liz Truss said Beijing was using Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan ‘to draw a line in the sand and I think that shows how worried they are’. Photograph: Jacob King/PA

Liz Truss has criticised China’s “inflammatory” response to a senior US politician visiting Taiwan and called for a de-escalation ahead of military drills expected over the coming days.

Hours after the US House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, ended a historic trip to the island about 100 miles east of China, the UK foreign secretary said her meetings with human rights activists and others were “perfectly reasonable”.