Former UK Prime Minister Liz Truss is expected to lay into French President Emmanuel Macron over his desire to work with China

Former UK Prime Minister Liz Truss is expected to lay into French President Emmanuel Macron in an upcoming speech.

Truss will say Macron’s recent trip to China was a “sign of weakness”, after the French leader asked Xi Jinping for support in ending the war in Ukraine.

It’s the latest in a series of foreign policy interventions designed to encourage current PM Rishi Sunak to take a tougher approach towards Beijing.

Truss believes any attempts by western leaders to appease Xi will be a mistake.

Truss is expected to urge the UK government to pile greater economic pressure on Beijing.

The former PM will also urge the free world to “get real about the threat from authoritarian regimes”.

Xi and Vladimir Putin are “allies against western capitalism”, Truss will tell the Heritage Foundation thinktank in Washington.

“That is why western leaders visiting President Xi to ask for his support in ending the war is a mistake and it is a sign of weakness.

“Instead our energies should go into taking more measures to support Taiwan. We need to make sure Taiwan is able to defend itself. We need to put economic pressure on China before it is too late.”