China Warns of 'Forceful Measures' If US House Speaker Pelosi Visits Taiwan
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – China’s foreign ministry on Tuesday warned that Beijing would take "forceful measures" if US House speaker Nancy Pelosi visits Taiwan in August as reported by sections of US media.
In a regular press briefing, ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian stated that Beijing will take strong measures to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity, while asserting that any visit to the island without China's consent violates the One-China principle.
Pelosi is expected to visit Taiwan in August, according to reports. She will be among the most senior US officials to visit the self-governing territory.
The Financial Times was the first to report Pelosi's intention to lead a delegation to Taipei next month.
Lijian predicted that it would have a "significant impact" on US-China relations. China had issued a similar warning about Pelosi's planned April visit.
Pelosi and her delegation will also visit Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore, and spend time in Hawaii at the headquarters of US Indo-Pacific command, the paper added.
Lijian said any visit by Pelosi would "seriously undermine China's sovereignty and territorial integrity".
The US House speaker's trip to the Asian continent, originally scheduled to take place in April, was held back after she contracted COVID-19.
At the time, China said such a visit would severely affect Chinese-US relations, which are already fractured.
She will be the first sitting US House speaker to visit Taiwan since 1997 when Newt Gingrich traveled to the territory to meet then-Taiwanese president Lee Teng-hui.
China has repeatedly warned the US against formal ties with the self-ruled territory.
The US does not have a formal diplomatic relationship with Taiwan, however, under the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act, Washington is allowed to sell arms to the island. Beijing maintains that weapon sales to the island violate China’s sovereignty.
The US also recognizes Chinese sovereignty over the island, but in an attempted affront to China and violation of its official policy, Washington constantly sells weapons to Taiwan.
The reports about Pelosi’s August visit come 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.
Taiwan remains China’s most sensitive territorial issue and a major bone of contention with Washington.