Beijing warns other nations not to follow US ‘political performance’ on Taiwan
- Foreign Minister Wang Yi says some countries are acting out of ‘political self-interest’ and it will ‘seriously undermine the foundation for engaging with China’
- It comes as US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi defends her trip to the island and accuses Beijing of using it as a pretext for more aggressive action
Wang delivered his message during three separate meetings in recent days with his counterparts from Mongolia, South Korea and Nepal, according to a Chinese foreign ministry statement on Wednesday.
He said politicians in some countries had followed Washington’s lead on Taiwan and were taking the opportunity for “political performance” and acting out of “political self-interest”.
“This will seriously undermine the political foundation for engaging with China,” Wang said in the meetings, according to the statement.
The Chinese foreign minister also called on pro-independence forces in Taiwan not to “misjudge the situation and overestimate their ability”. He said Pelosi’s trip was a political provocation and Beijing needed to take action to defend its sovereignty.
But Pelosi on Wednesday said Beijing’s unprecedented military drills after her visit had upended a long-standing status quo in the region.