China’s government warned on Tuesday it would take “vigorous action” if House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visits Taiwan, after the Financial Times said she would head to the Chinese-claimed island next month. .
Pelosi and her delegation will also visit Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore, and will spend time in Hawaii at the Indo-Pacific Command headquarters, the London newspaper added, citing people familiar with the matter.
The US State Department did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry said it had “not received relevant information” about any visits.
Asked about the report, Drew Hammill, Pelosi’s deputy chief of staff, said: “We do not confirm or deny international travel in advance due to longstanding security protocols.”
The Democratic leader’s visit to Taiwan was postponed in April after she tested positive for Covid-19. At the time, China said such a visit would severely affect China-US relations.
Speaking in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said any visit by Pelosi would “seriously undermine China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
“If the US side stubbornly sticks to this course, China will definitely take resolute and forceful measures to firmly defend its national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he said.
“The United States must be fully responsible for all consequences caused by this.”
Taiwan faces increasing pressure from China, which considers the democratically governed island its own territory. The issue is a constant irritation in ties between Beijing and Washington.
Taiwan, however, has been encouraged by the continued support offered by President Joe Biden’s administration, which has repeatedly reinforced its “solid” commitment to the island.
Pelosi, a longtime critic of China, held an online meeting with Taiwan’s Vice President William Lai in January as he wrapped up a visit to the United States and Honduras.
The White House expressed concern about Pelosi’s trip, the Times said, citing three people familiar with the situation.
There have been divisions in the Democrats’ administration over whether Pelosi should visit Taiwan, according to the Times.
Some officials believe it was easier to justify a visit in April, as it was shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began, he added.
China sent fighters across the midline of the Taiwan Strait earlier this month in what the latter described as a provocation. The incident occurred during a visit to Taipei by Senator Rick Scott, a US Republican member. Senate Armed Services Committee.
The report of Pelosi’s potential August visit came after China asked the United States on Monday to immediately cancel a potential sale of military technical assistance to Taiwan worth an estimated $108 million.
Source: CNN Brasil
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