China has declared that its military will never ‘sit idly by’ if US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi were to visit Taiwan, the self-ruled island claimed by Beijing.
In Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian on Monday reiterated earlier warnings asserting that ‘there will be serious consequences if she insists on making the visit”. He did not spell out any specific consequences.
‘We are fully prepared for any eventuality,’ he said. ‘The People’s Liberation Army [PLA] will never sit by idly. China will take strong and resolute measures to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity.’
PLA ships have been stationed close to the median line in the Taiwan Strait, which separates China and Taiwan, since Monday, and several military jets flew close to the line on Tuesday morning, Reuters news agency reported citing unnamed sources. Taiwan had dispatched aircraft to monitor the situation, it added.
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Africa Daily News, New York reports that China has been steadily ratcheting up diplomatic and military pressure on the self-ruled democracy since President Tsai Ing-wen was first elected in 2016. But threats of retaliation over a visit by Pelosi have driven concerns of a deepening crisis amid continued tension between Beijing and Washington, which has formal diplomatic relations with China, but is required by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself.
Several Taiwan media outlets reported late on Monday, citing unnamed sources, that Pelosi would visit Taiwan on Tuesday and spend the night in Taipei.
One of the newspapers, the Liberty Times, said Pelosi was scheduled to visit Taiwan’s parliament on Wednesday morning.
Taiwan’s foreign ministry said it had no comment on reports of Pelosi’s travel plans.
