China threatens US with "measures of force".The White House is concerned

2022-07-19 14:05:41 By : Mr. Eric Pan

The Chinese government warned on Tuesday that it would take "force measures" if US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan after the Financial Times said it would travel to the island claimed by China next month.Pelosi and his delegation will also visit Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore and spend time in Hawaii at the headquarters of the US Indo-Pacific Command, the newspaper added, citing people familiar with the matter.The Taiwanese Foreign Ministry said it had "not received any relevant information" about any visit.The Democratic leader's visit to Taiwan had been postponed since April, after it tested positive for COVID-19.At the time, China said such a visit would severely affect China-US relations.Speaking in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said any visit by Pelosi would "seriously undermine China's sovereignty and territorial integrity.""If the US side stubbornly clings to this course, China will certainly take firm and vigorous steps to firmly defend its national sovereignty and territorial integrity," he said."The United States must be fully responsible for all the consequences of this."Taiwan is facing increasing pressure from China, which considers the democratically governed island as its own territory.The problem is a constant irritant in Beijing-Washington relations.However, Taiwan was encouraged by the continued support of the Biden administration, which has repeatedly spoken of its "rock-solid" commitment to the island.Pelosi, a longtime critic of China, had an online meeting with Taiwanese Vice President William Lai in January as he concluded a visit to the United States and Honduras.The White House has expressed concern about the trip, the Financial Times said, citing three people familiar with the situation.There have been divisions within the US administration over whether Pelosi should visit Taiwan, the newspaper said, citing two sources.Some officials thought it would have been easier to justify a visit in April, as it took place immediately after the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, he added.China sent fighter jets across the Taiwan Strait's middle line this month, in what the latter described as a challenge.The incident took place during a visit to Taipei by US Senator Rick Scott, a senior Republican and a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.The news of Pelosi's August visit comes after China on Monday called on the United States to immediately cancel a potential sale of military technical assistance to Taiwan worth an estimated $ 108 million.