China issued a barrage of threats Tuesday after learning that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is expected to visit Taiwan next month.
A report in the Financial Times said a stop in Taiwan will be part of a regional trip by Pelosi through Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore, according to Reuters.
“If the U.S. side obstinately clings to this course, China will definitely take resolute and forceful measures to firmly defend its national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said in response.
“The United States must be fully responsible for all the consequences caused by this,” he said.
#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: Chinese Foreign Ministry pic.twitter.com/qc4Xl0fS8H
— Zhang Meifang张美芳 (@CGMeifangZhang) July 19, 2022
A Pelosi visit to Taiwan would cause “grave harm to China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity” he said, according to The Washington Post, and “seriously impact the political foundations of China-U.S. relations.”
Taiwan, an island off the coast of China, became the refuge for China’s Nationalist government in 1949 after it lost the Chinese civil war to Mao Zedong and the Communists.
Is war with China over Taiwan inevitable?
The United States does not officially recognize Taiwan’s government but has a policy that no changes in the status quo should take place. Under the leadership of Xi Jinping, China has taken an increasingly aggressive tone toward Taiwan, claiming that the island is rightfully a part of China and should be governed as such. That has sparked increased military maneuvers around Taiwan.
According to the Financial Times, the Biden White House has expressed concern over the trip by Pelosi, which comes at a time China observes the August 1 anniversary of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army.
The leak about the trip comes a day after China asked the U.S. to cancel $108 million in military technical assistance to Taiwan.
“We won’t have a blind eye on #China’s threats to Taiwan. Europe was late for hk, we won’t be late for #Taiwan. There is no room for Chinese aggression in democratic Taiwan,” European Parliament vice president Nicola Beer said after arriving in Taiwan for a three-day visit. pic.twitter.com/HuTVhMtTNp
— Amber Wang (@ambermywang) July 19, 2022
In June, China’s defense minister, Gen. Wei Fenghe, touched on the issue of Taiwan while issuing a saber-rattling threat aimed at the United States, according to The Washington Post.
“Some people in the U.S. try to suppress China on all fronts. If you want confrontation, we will fight to the end,” Wei said. “If someone forces a war on China, the military will not flinch.”
“The People’s Liberation Army has fought many powerful adversaries and won many victories. We do not provoke trouble, but we will not flinch in the face of provocation. We will not bully others, but we will not allow others to bully us,” he said.
He then made a comment directed at the U.S.
“China will not be the bully. We are all clear-eyed who is the bully.
“Let me be clear: If anyone dares to secede Taiwan from China, we will not hesitate to fight. We will fight at all costs, and we will fight to the very end,” he said.
Wei said the world should get used to China’s current role.
“China’s development is a historical trend. It is neither possible nor sensible to try to stop it,” he said.
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