China explodes at reports that will Nancy Pelosi visit Taiwan
China has strongly urged the US to scrap an upcoming visit to Taiwan by Nancy Pelosi — in what would be the first trip of its kind in 25 years.
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China has strongly urged the US to scrap an upcoming visit to Taiwan from Nancy Pelosi — warning of “forceful measures”. It would be the first trip by a Speaker of the US House of Representatives to the island in 25 years.
The Financial Times spoke to several senior sources within the US Government who said Pelosi would take a delegation to Taiwan in August.
The newspaper reports that Pelosi would be the most senior US politician to visit the island since one of her predecessors as Speaker, Republican Newt Gingrich, travelled there in 1997.
The anticipated visit comes at a time of heightened tension between China and the US — with Taiwan seen as a major flashpoint in the strained relationship.
And, China is not happy about the reports of Pelosi’s plans.
The 82-year-old California politician cancelled a previous visit in April after she caught Covid-19 — a visit China’s foreign Minister Wang Yi said would be a “malicious provocation”.
In response to the reports of an August visit, the Chinese Foreign Ministry has issued a very strongly-worded statement — saying it will take “take forceful countermeasures” if it goes ahead.
“China urges that US must not arrange House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s Taiwan visit, stop official exchange with Taiwan, and stop creating tensions over the Taiwan Straits, or China will take forceful countermeasures,” it said in a statement.
In response to a question about the proposed visit, China’s foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said China was firmly opposed to any US official visiting Taiwan and urged members of Congress to follow the “One China” policy.
He said if Speaker Pelosi was to visit Taiwan it would violate the One China policy and undermine China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“It would have a seriously negative impact on the foundation of Chinese-US relations and send a seriously wrong signal to Taiwan independence forces. China firmly opposes this.”
Commentator and former editor-in-chief at state-run media outlet Global Times, Hu Xijin, posted on Twitter, “If [Pelos] really dares to visit Taiwan, it will be a major serious incident. She will be the enemy that divides China. She will experience a risky visit. She will also bear historical responsibility for possibly triggering a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait.”
China already angry at weapons meeting
After the shock of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, there are deep concerns about what China could do when it comes to the issue of Taiwan.
The superpower has long sought to “unify” Taiwan – which has been governed independently since 1949 – with the mainland, with the Chinese Communist Party vowing to “fight to the very end” to stop Taiwanese independence.
When a nation has a military the size of China’s, the ongoing threats become an increasingly worrying prospect for the 23 million people who live on the island.
Some in Taiwan are taking shooting lessons for the first time in their lives as Russia’s invasion ratchets up anxiety at the prospect of giant neighbour China making a similar move.
Despite the steps taken by locals, China has claimed that Taiwan has no chance against the raw power of its People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
Earlier this month, Chinese state media blasted annual high-level military security talks, known as the “Monterey Talks”, between the US and a delegation from the Taiwan authorities. It is understood Washington is expected to list about 20 weapons for sale to the island, with emphasis on building “asymmetric capability”.
In a seething piece, China’s People’s Daily said Taiwan was dreaming if it thought these “useless” weapons would keep it safe from the PLA. “Military expert Song Zhongping said it is impossible for Taiwan to form ‘asymmetric capabilities,’ no matter what kind of weapons it purchases from the US as the gap between the military capacities of the two sides is ‘too huge’,” it reported.
“Chinese analysts commented that it is very much daydreaming for the secessionist forces on the island to even think about containing the PLA’s military operations no matter what kind of US arms they obtain, as the so-called asymmetric weapons are useless when facing the PLA’s absolute advantages.”
Europe must ‘stand firm’ with Taiwan
The US isn’t the only Western power to send high-profile politicians to Taiwan.
Nicola Beer, one of the European Parliament’s vice presidents, arrived for what Taiwan’s foreign ministry described as “the first official visit” by an MEP of her rank.
Beer told reporters just after touching down that “now is the moment to stand firm on the side of Taiwan”, calling Europe and the island part of a “family of democracies”.
“Taiwan’s bloom is also Europe’s bloom. We won’t have a blind eye on China’s threats to Taiwan. Europe was late for Hong Kong, we won’t be late for Taiwan,” she said, referring to Beijing’s recent dismantling of Hong Kong’s democracy movement.
“There is no room for Chinese aggression in democratic Taiwan. For the moment, we witness war in Europe; we do not want to witness war in Asia.”
Taiwan’s 23 million people live under the constant threat of invasion by authoritarian China, which claims the self-ruled island and has vowed to one day seize it.
Russia’s assault on Ukraine has deepened fears both within Taiwan and among key Western allies that Beijing might do the same under President Xi Jinping.
Beer’s visit is likely to upset China, which opposes any official exchanges between Taiwan and foreign politicians.
But Beer said “political need” brought her to Taiwan in her “official capacity”. Last year, China condemned a visit to Taiwan by a European Parliament delegation led by French MEP Raphael Glucksmann, a vocal China critic who was among five politicians sanctioned by Beijing.
Beer, a lawyer and a member of Germany’s liberal Free Democratic Party, is scheduled to meet President Tsai Ing-wen and other top officials during her three-day visit.
‘Strategic challenge’
In a separate visit to the island, former US defence secretary Mark Esper said during a meeting with Tsai on Tuesday the time had come for Washington to “move away from strategic ambiguity”.
The United States cut formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan in 1979 to recognise China, but is required by law to sell the island military supplies to ensure its self-defence against Beijing.
The US has since maintained “strategic ambiguity” as to whether it would intervene militarily on the island’s behalf, a policy designed both to ward off a Chinese invasion and to discourage Taiwan from ever formally declaring independence.
Esper said the biggest challenge for Western democracies “is not in Russia, it is here in Asia where China continues to challenge the rules-based international order”, threatening freedom-loving people in the region.
“If there is one issue that unites politicians in Washington DC, it is the view that China is a strategic challenge for our country and Taiwan is a good friend that we must support and defend.”
Originally published as China explodes at reports that will Nancy Pelosi visit Taiwan
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