TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Former U.K. Prime Minister Liz Truss was paid over NT$3.58 million (US$115,000) for a four-day visit to Taiwan, which included a four-hour speaking engagement and visits with various government figures including President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文).

Truss was in Taiwan at the invitation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), but she received most of the payment from the Prospect Foundation, for whom she delivered a keynote address on May 17. According to U.K. parliamentary records, Truss registered a payment of NT$3.16 million (US$101,000) from the Prospect Foundation for the May 30 speaking engagement, and just over NT$395,000 (US$12,700) in expenses paid to her by MOFA.

The foreign ministry released a statement on Monday (July 3) that said such speaking engagements were common for outgoing British leaders. However, it said it could not explain the speaking fee as it was not a party to the payment contract.

While in Taiwan, Truss called the country an “enduring rebuke to totalitarianism” and criticized China's ideology. She also said she supported Taiwan’s entrance into the CPTPP, which both Taiwan and China have submitted applications for.

According to other payments logged on the expense records, Truss was paid more for her speaking engagement in Taiwan than for similar engagements in other countries this year. Truss reported receiving around NT$220,300 for a two-hour speech at a Japanese university in March, just over NT$2.27 million for a four-hour speech in India, and just under NT$1.19 million for a two-hour speech in Switzerland.

However, compared to other former U.K. prime ministers, Truss earned significantly less for speaking engagements over the last year. Theresa May, the only former U.K. prime minister for whom records were also available, earned an average of NT$742,000 per hour for speaking, compared to Truss who earned about NT$461,000.

Taiwan’s foreign ministry reportedly plans to invite around 2,400 foreign guests in 2023, an increase of 300 compared to 2022, per UDN. To achieve the increase, it has expanded its budget for such exchanges by NT$56 million to about NT$430 million, which will be spent on visitors’ flights, accommodation, transport, insurance, and other fees.

Truss is perhaps most famous internationally for her 49-day term as prime minister, the shortest in U.K. history. Her tumultuous month and a half in office was marked by the death of Queen Elizabeth II and her cabinet’s implementation of a financial plan that created market chaos, to the point that the country’s central bank had to intervene, and she was forced to resign.