China labelled Nancy Pelosi Taiwan trip as ‘extremely dangerous’

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02nd Aug, 2022. 11:55 pm
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China has described US House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s historic visit to Taiwan as “very dangerous”.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan has provoked an angry response from China.

The US has long maintained “strong unofficial” contacts with Taiwan, which involves selling weaponry to Taiwan.

China has described US House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s historic visit to Taiwan as “very dangerous.”

It accused Mrs. Pelosi, the most senior US politician to visit the island China claims as its own in 25 years, of “playing with fire.”

“Those who play with fire will perish,” warned Beijing in a statement.

Mrs. Pelosi stated that her visit “honours America’s steadfast commitment to supporting Taiwan’s thriving democracy” and was not in conflict with US policy.

Chinese state media said that military jets were crossing the Taiwan Strait as her plane touched down. Taiwan initially disputed the accusations, but later stated that more than 20 Chinese military jets had crossed its air defence zone on Tuesday.

China has repeatedly warned that its armed forces “would not stand quietly by” as it sees Taiwan as a separatist province that will one day reunite with it.

Within an hour of the plane’s arrival, the People’s Liberation Army stated that it will conduct a series of live-fire military manoeuvres in the air and at sea surrounding Taiwan later this week, warning ships and planes not to visit the impacted areas.

It comes after days of rising tensions ahead of the visit, with Chinese warplanes already flying as far as the median line, the unofficial dividing line between China and Taiwan in the waters between them.

In her statement, Mrs Pelosi said: “America’s solidarity with the 23 million people of Taiwan is more important today than ever, as the world faces a choice between autocracy and democracy.”

Mrs. Pelosi also wrote that Taiwan’s “strong democracy… is under assault” in a piece published at the same time in the Washington Post newspaper.

“In the face of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) accelerating aggression, our congressional delegation’s visit should be seen as an unequivocal statement that America stands with Taiwan, our democratic partner, as it defends itself and its freedom,” she said.

Mrs. Pelosi’s visit, on the other hand, had been cloaked in secrecy until the last minute, despite the fact that it had been the topic of widespread international speculation for days.

On Sunday, she embarked on a trip to Asia that included Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, and Japan, but there was no mention of Taiwan on her official itinerary.

The White House has been outspoken in its opposition to such a trip, with President Joe Biden stating that the military deemed it “not a smart idea.”

However, after Mrs. Pelosi arrived, White House spokesman John Kirby told CNN that her visit was identical to those of other leaders.

“There is no reason for this to erupt into conflict. There’s no change to our policy. This is absolutely consistent with it.”

In response to China’s aggressive reaction, he stated, “The United States will not be intimidated by threats.”

China uses international pressure to persuade other countries to adopt its “One China” principle, which states that there is only one Chinese nation, centred in Beijing. Only 15 countries have formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan.

The US has long recognised the Beijing administration while maintaining “strong unofficial” contacts with Taiwan. This involves selling weaponry to Taiwan in order for it to defend itself.

Mrs. Pelosi, as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, is second in line to the presidency after the vice president. She is, nevertheless, a long-standing opponent of Beijing.

In 1991, two years after the Chinese government brutally suppressed demonstrators in Tiananmen Square, she visited the site and unfurled a flag in memory of those who perished, eliciting an angry response from the government.

Mrs. Pelosi is set to remain overnight and meet with members of Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan as well as Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-Wen on Wednesday, according to Taiwanese media.

China labelled Nancy Pelosi Taiwan trip as ‘extremely dangerous’

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