Beijing warns of ‘forceful measures’ if Nancy Pelosi visits Taiwan
- US House Speaker is expected to arrive in Taipei on Sunday, according to media reports
- Beijing says Washington ‘must be fully responsible for the consequences’ if it goes ahead
Pelosi, a long-time supporter of Taiwan, is expected to arrive in Taipei on Sunday after visiting Japan, according to media reports on Thursday, including by Fuji News Network, citing unidentified sources.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian on Thursday urged Washington to stick to its one-China policy and said Beijing firmly opposed any form of official exchange between the US and Taiwan.
Zhao said China had “lodged solemn representations” with the US and urged Washington to “immediately cancel” the trip.
“If the US goes its own way, China will take resolute and forceful measures to firmly defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the US must be fully responsible for all the consequences,” he told reporters.
Taiwanese foreign ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou declined to confirm or deny Pelosi’s trip, but said Taipei would continue to invite US officials to visit the island.
“It is a … deeply disruptive move that will drive a negative wedge into US-China relations,” said Zhu Feng, an international affairs expert at Nanjing University.
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Beijing claims Taiwan as part of its territory, to be taken by force if necessary. It sees Taiwan as the most sensitive issue in its relations with Washington, which does not have formal ties with Taipei but is the self-ruled island’s most important ally.
Zhu said a trip by Pelosi was “not surprising” at a time when Washington was framing the US-China rivalry as a “battle between democracy and autocracy” – including in light of Moscow’s actions in Ukraine, which Beijing has refused to condemn.
“This is a provocative move, largely driven by American domestic needs ahead of the midterm elections,” Zhu said. “China cannot afford to appear weak in its response … It will only fuel tensions across the Taiwan Strait and worsen the security landscape in East Asia, as Japan and even South Korea edge closer to the US.”
Li Fei, a researcher at Xiamen University’s Taiwan Research Institute, said it was a challenge to Beijing’s “red line” on Taiwan.
“It’s part of Washington’s salami-slicing tactics on Taiwan in recent years – trying to force a showdown with Beijing and stir up regional conflict to maintain the US global hegemony,” he said.
Washington has moved closer to Taiwan in recent years, including through arms deals and more high-level official exchanges, angering Beijing which has stepped up diplomatic and military pressure on the island. Beijing was also furious when Taiwan was invited to US President Joe Biden’s democracy summit in December, while representatives from mainland China were excluded.
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“China will have to take resolute and harsh measures to hit hard at both the US and Taiwan,” he said, adding that Beijing had made “contingency plans” to respond to provocations from Washington and Taipei, without elaborating.
But Zhu from Nanjing University said Beijing should “show restraint” to avoid worsening its relationship with Washington and the West.
According to Lin Ting-hui, deputy secretary general of the Taiwanese Society of International Law, a visit by Pelosi would be highly significant given the US Indo-Pacific strategy and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“This indicates that she has been taking note of the importance of defence and security for Taiwan,” Lin said. “What she does and says represents the mindset of the top authorities in the US.”
Additional reporting by Lawrence Chung
