Beijing: Beijing said it’s fully prepared to respond with “strong measures” if U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sticks to her plan to visit Taiwan.
Pelosi will lead a delegation to Taiwan in August, the Financial Times reported last week, citing sources familiar with the matter. The trip would make her the most senior U.S. lawmaker to visit the island since 1997.
“The Chinese side has made clear its firm opposition to the United States about House Speaker Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan on many occasions. We’ve expressed our grave concern and stern position,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said during a regular press briefing on Monday.
Washington’s official exchanges with Taiwan violate the one-China principle, which is guided by provisions in the three China-U.S. joint communiques.
“We are fully prepared. If the U.S. goes its own way, China will certainly take resolute and strong measures to safeguard its national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the U.S. should assume full responsibility for any consequences,” Zhao said.
If Pelosi visits Taiwan, it will certainly cause extremely serious damage to the relationship between the two militaries and further intensify tensions across the Taiwan Straits, Tan Kefei, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, said on Tuesday.
Tan urged the U.S. side to take practical action to fulfill its commitment not to support “Taiwan independence” and not to arrange Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, adding the Chinese military will never sit idle if such a plan proceeds.
–The Daily Mail-CGTN news exchange item
