China Signals a Military Response to a Taiwan Visit by Pelosi – By Paul D. Shinkman (US News) / July 19, 2022
A report that the House speaker will follow through on plans to visit the island will prompt ‘firm and forceful measures’ from China, officials in Beijing warn.
China is warning the U.S. not to allow House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to proceed with a trip to Taiwan she has reportedly planned for next month, even signaling “military but also strategic” consequences for the island nation over which Beijing is becoming increasingly confrontational.
Though the California Democrat herself has not confirmed the trip, the Financial Times reported Pelosi’s plans citing several anonymous officials. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian blasted the report on Tuesday, telling reporters that Beijing perceives it as a “serious violation” of the collection of diplomatic agreements that govern U.S.-China relations toward Taiwan.
“China urged the U.S. to not arrange the visit and stop official exchanges, stop creating tensions across the Taiwan Straits, and take concrete actions to fulfill the U.S. commitment of ‘not supporting Taiwan secessionism,’” Zhao warned. “If the U.S. insists on going its own way, China will take firm and forceful measures to firmly safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity. The U.S. must bear all the consequence of the visit.”
