Pelosi’s plan to lead a delegation to Taipei next month, which was reported by the Financial Times, would have a “grave impact” on US-China ties, foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said Tuesday. China had issued a similar warning about a planned Pelosi visit in April, before she contracted Covid-19 and cancelled the trip.
“China firmly opposes this as it will have a grave impact on the political foundation of bilateral relations,” Zhao told a regular news briefing in Beijing. “If the US were to insist on going down the wrong path, China will take resolute and strong measures to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity. All the ensuing consequences shall be borne by the US side.”
No sitting US speaker has visited Taiwan since Newt Gingrich travelled to the island in 1997.
The warning comes as top aides to US President Joe Biden and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping engage in talks in preparation for a possible conversation between the two leaders. China regularly protests foreign officials’ visit to Taipei as a violation of diplomatic agreements to avoid formal recognition of Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own territory.
China has ramped up military activity around Taiwan to signal its displeasure with past high-profile visits. Hu Xijin, a commentator and former editor-in-chief of the Communist Party’s Global Times newspaper, said in a tweet Tuesday that Pelosi “will also bear historical responsibility for possibly triggering a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait.”
Taipei has seen wave of such trips in recent years, as the US and others push back against an isolation campaign by Beijing. Xi is seeking to pressure Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing-wen over her refusal to accept that both sides are part of “one China.”
On Tuesday, European Parliament vice president Nicola Beer began a three-day visit to Taipei – leading the most senior EU legislative delegation to visit Taiwan. Beer told reporters after her arrival that the “family of democracies” need to support Taiwan after China’s crackdown on Hong Kong’s opposition and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.