Liz Truss right this moment branded China "the largest threat that we face to the free world".

The former prime minister used an look on the Copenhagen Democracy Summit to warn "we cannot listen to rhetorical bullying from authoritarian regimes".

Ms Truss stated: "We've acquired to deal with Ukraine, we additionally have to deal with the menace from China.

"That is my message - that this stuff are inherently linked.

"If we take our eye off the ball on China, we'll be facing a very, very serious problem down the road."

Ms Truss referred to as for the UK to classify Beijing as a "threat" moderately than a "systemic competitor".

Asked about her personal stance in contrast with the much less hawkish place of her successor Rishi Sunak, she stated: "I stand by my assertion that we should designate China as a threat.

"I feel they seem to be a very clear menace. I feel they're the biggest menace that we face to the free world.

"Why I'm here today at this summit is because I believe that we all need to wake up to the threat China presents.

"That we have to ensure that Taiwan is ready to defend itself and we're not going through a really critical scenario down the monitor."

Ms Truss said the West needs to make clear that there will be "a really critical and extreme response" to any escalation of Chinese aggression in Taiwan.

She said: "I do not assume Vladimir Putin believed the West was critical about sanctions earlier than we put them on, and we now have to be completely clear that if there may be any type of escalation in Taiwan there could be a really critical and extreme response."

The ex-PM also said the UK along with the rest of the western world is "too dependent" on China and warned against sending "blended messages" by continuing trade while engaging in tough rhetoric.

She said: "There's little question that all the western world together with the United States, together with Europe, together with the UK, has turn into too depending on China, and that is an issue as a result of it is given China leverage over us, and it is also an issue economically.

"Yes, the UK needs to take more action but it's not just the UK, it's the continent of Europe, it's the US.

"We ship blended messages if we proceed with the identical degree of commerce and funding with China, however simply put messages out which are completely different. We have to point out we're critical."