According to reports, Beijing warned US authorities that the House speaker’s trip to Taiwan would result in a harsh response.
According to reports, China has threatened to use military force if US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi follows ahead with her trip to Taiwan, upping the ante in its dispute with Washington on the matter.
According to six unnamed persons with knowledge of the situation, the Financial Times claimed on Sunday that the most recent warnings were sent in private to officials of President Joe Biden’s cabinet. The warning was more tougher than previous statements made by Chinese authorities about contentious US activities or Taiwan-related policy choices.
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According to reports, Pelosi will travel to Taipei next month. This will be the first time a House speaker has visited the secessionist nation since 1997. Last Tuesday, Zhao Lijian, a spokeswoman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, stated that Pelosi’s visit would have a “severe impact” on US-China relations. “China will take firm steps to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity if the US insists on taking the wrong course. The US side will be responsible for all the repercussions that result.
According to the Financial Times, White House officials are attempting to determine whether the most recent Chinese warning is a genuine matter or just “brinkmanship” to convince Pelosi not to go on the trip. Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser for the US, is against the visit because he thinks it would increase tensions in the Taiwan Strait. Pelosi has received “background, facts and geopolitically important information” about the planned visit from the National Security Council, leaving her free to make her own choice, according to spokesperson John Kirby.
Tensions between the US and China on Taiwan have risen recently. Earlier this month, The Financial Times reported that Pelosi planned to travel to Taiwan as a show of solidarity despite growing demand for reunification from the mainland.
In a June interview, the Chinese ambassador to France, Lu Shaye, asserted that Beijing would not permit Taiwan to maintain its independence. “We will recapture Taiwan by all available measures, including force. What other options do we have if a peaceful reunification of the nation is not possible?
China had warned a US congressional delegation not to go to Taiwan in November, but they disregarded their advice. It was the second time that month that members of Congress traveled to Taipei, and five of them met with Taiwanese authorities to discuss economic and security matters. Such excursions, according to Beijing, strengthen separatist movements and threaten the basis of US-China ties.
