Amid warnings from China of “grave consequences”, US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi landed in Taipei airport even as China closed the Taiwan strait and east coast airspace around Xiamen area.
New Delhi: Since US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi began her Taiwan visit on Tuesday, more than 20 Chinese fighter jets entered the air space of the island nation. Beijing always claims that the nation is part of its territory and is being ruled by Taipei illegally.
Taiwan’s defence ministry said in a statement on Twitter: “21 PLA aircraft … entered #Taiwan’s southwest ADIZ on August 2, 2022,” referring to the air defence identification zone.
Amid warnings from China of “grave consequences”, US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi landed in Taipei airport even as China closed the Taiwan strait and east coast airspace around Xiamen area.
According to reports, the US C-40C aircraft circled around and approached Taiwan from the Philippine Sea.
Moments after landing, Pelosi tweeted, “Our delegation’s visit to Taiwan honors America’s unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwan’s vibrant Democracy. Our discussions with Taiwan leadership reaffirm our support for our partner & promote our shared interests, including advancing a free & open Indo-Pacific region.”
“Our visit is one of several Congressional delegations to Taiwan – and it in no way contradicts longstanding United States policy, guided by the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979, U.S.-China Joint Communiques and the Six Assurances,” she added.
Ahead of Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, China warned the US and said it will threaten peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. A Chinese official on Tuesday said China firmly opposes separatist moves toward “Taiwan independence”.
Spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in India Wang Xiaojian in a tweet said, “The one-China principle is the political foundation for China-US relations. China firmly opposes separatist moves toward “Taiwan independence” and interference by external forces, and never allows any room for “Taiwan independence” forces in whatever form.”
He added, “A visit to Taiwan by Speaker Pelosi would constitute a gross interference in China’s internal affairs, greatly threaten peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, severely undermine China-US relations and lead to a very serious situation and grave consequences.”
“The public opinion cannot be defied. Those who play with fire will perish by it. If the US side insists on making the visit and challenges China’s red line, it will be met with resolute countermeasures. The US must bear all consequences arising thereof,” the spokesperson further said.
The US has said it will not be intimidated by Chinese “saber rattling” over the visit of Pelosi, who is a long-time critic of China. Pelosi is expected to reach Taipei later on Tuesday.
China sees US contact with Taiwan as an encouragement to the latter’s decades-old de facto independence permanent, a step US leaders say they don’t support. The US also tried to assure China that there was no reason to “come to blows” and said if such a visit occurred, it would signal no change in the US policy on Taiwan.
In 1949, China and Taiwan split after the Communists won a civil war on the mainland. Both the sides say they are one country but disagree over which government is entitled to the national leadership. They have no official relations but are linked by billions of dollars of trade and investment.