China has imposed unspecified sanctions on US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. As the Foreign Ministry in Beijing announced on Friday, the sanctions are also aimed at immediate family members of Pelosi. Pelosi had visited Taiwan and assured the president of US support in the conflict with China.
“Despite China’s grave concern and fervent opposition, Pelosi insisted on visiting Taiwan, seriously interfering in China’s internal affairs, undermining China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, trampling on the One China policy and promoting peace and stability across the entire strait,” he said. the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing on Friday. China accused the speaker of the US House of Representatives, who is second in line to succeed the US president after the vice president, of acting “provocatively”.
Military maneuvers started
The visit of the top American politician had so enraged China that the Chinese army launched several military maneuvers. According to the Taiwanese military, the unofficial sea border between China and Taiwan has been crossed several times. “Several Chinese warplanes and warships” had already flown over the centerline in the Taiwan Strait by morning (local time), the Defense Ministry in Taipei said Friday.
“Very provocative action”
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry called the maneuvers a “very provocative act” on Friday. The centerline of the Taiwan Strait is an unofficial but widely respected border in the middle of the Taiwan Strait that separates China and Taiwan. According to Taipei, China crossed the center line 49 times on Wednesday and Thursday. The Taiwan Strait is one of the most important shipping routes in the world.
Taiwanese Prime Minister Su Tseng-chang strongly condemned the maneuvers. The government in Taipei did not expect “the hateful neighbor to put a show of force on our doorstep and arbitrarily endanger the world’s busiest sea routes with military exercises,” Su told reporters.
G7 countries also worried
The G7 countries had expressed concern, stressing that there was no reason to use a visit as a pretext “for aggressive military activity”. Beijing then called on the ambassadors and representatives of the EU countries at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday and the Japanese ambassador on Friday. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs handed them a formal protest against the G7 statement.
Pelosi on tour in Asia
Pelosi also visited Taiwan this week as part of her trip to Asia, despite massive threats from China. She took her visit as a sign of solidarity. It was the US’s highest visit to Taiwan in 25 years. The communist leadership refuses such official contacts with Taiwan because they claim the island for themselves. Beijing sees self-governing Taiwan as part of the People’s Republic and threatens to conquer it. The 23 million Taiwanese, on the other hand, see themselves as independent. In response, China launched its largest military maneuvers yet in waters off Taiwan on Thursday.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused China of trying to change the status quo in the Taiwan Strait with its missile tests and military exercises. At a meeting of the Southeast Asian community of ASEAN in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Blinken said there was no justification for the military provocations after Pelosi’s peaceful visit to Taiwan, as quoted by a Western representative, according to Bloomberg news agency.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
