US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaks next to Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Sandra Oudkirk during a meeting at the presidential office in Taipei, Taiwan August 3, 2022. (Taiwan Presidential Office/Handout via Reuters)Following US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s Taipei visit, Taiwan on Wednesday is negotiating with neighbouring Japan and the Philippines to find alternative aviation routes, said a Reuters report quoting the official Central News Agency. This came after China announced drills that the trade-reliant island said amounted to a “blockade”, but China refuted this, adding that it has not seen its military drills around Taiwan causing freedom of navigation issues.
On a trip rife with tension, Pelosi spoke to Taiwanese lawmakers and said in a press meeting that the US supports the status quo, but does not want anything to happen to Taiwan by force. Speaking at an event alongside Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, Pelosi said: “Now, more than ever, America’s solidarity with Taiwan is crucial, that’s the message we bring in today.”
China, meanwhile, reacted sharply to the visit and summoned the American envoy in Beijing to lodge a stern protest. It warned that Washington will “pay a price” for its “mistakes” and asked it to stop using the Taiwan issue to contain China in any form. Pelosi’s visit ratcheted up tension between China and the United States because China claims Taiwan as part of its territory.
US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, center, walks with Taiwan's Foreign Minister Joseph Wu, left, as she arrives in Taipei, Taiwan, Aug. 2, 2022. (Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs via AP)
Lending its support to its all-weather ally China, Pakistan on Wednesday said US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan will have "serious implications" for regional peace and stability.
Pelosi landed in Taipei on Tuesday night disregarding China's stern warnings. She is the highest-ranking US official to visit Taiwan in 25 years. After Pelosi's arrival in Taiwan, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a strong statement, saying that her visit is a "serious violation of the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-US joint communiques".
China claims Taiwan as part of the mainland and vows to integrate what it calls the rebel province even by force.
The Foreign Office said Pakistan "is deeply concerned over the evolving situation in the Taiwan Strait, which has serious implications for regional peace and stability”.
Pakistan also reaffirmed its “strong commitment to the ‘One-China' Policy” and firmly supported China's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The statement said the world is already reeling through a critical security situation due to the Ukraine conflict, with destabilising implications for international food and energy security. The world cannot afford another crisis that has negative consequences for global peace, security and economy. (PTI)
Lending its support to its all-weather ally China, Pakistan Wednesday said US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan will have "serious implications" for regional peace and stability.
The Foreign Office said Pakistan "is deeply concerned over the evolving situation in the Taiwan Strait, which has serious implications for regional peace and stability”. Pakistan also reaffirmed its “strong commitment to the ‘One-China' Policy” and firmly supported China's sovereignty and territorial integrity. (PTI)
Taiwan is negotiating with neighbouring Japan and the Philippines to find alternative aviation routes, the official Central News Agency (CNA) reported on Wednesday, after China announced drills that the trade-reliant island said amounted to a 'blockade'.
CNA reported, citing transport minister Wang Kwo-tsai, that there is no need for global chip manufacturing hub Taiwan to find alternatives for sea transport because ships can avoid Chinese drill zones. (Reuters)
A spokeswoman for the Chinese foreign ministry said on Wednesday that China has not seen its military drills around Taiwan causing freedom of navigation issues.
Tensions are high in the Taiwan strait after China announced targeted military operations in several areas around Taiwan following US House speaker Nancy Pelosi's arrival on the island for a visit late on Tuesday.
Foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters that Chinese military actions were legitimate and meant as a deterrent to Taiwan. (Reuters)
China hit back at US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s landmark touchdown in Taiwan late Tuesday with an unprecedented range of actions against the self-ruled island it considers its own.
Here are the ways China has already responded and what it could still do:
1. Missile tests, drills encircling Taiwan
2. Sand, fish and tech
3. Criminalising separatists
4. Diplomatic protest
5. Cyberattacks
6. Seize an island
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed the possibility of house speaker Nancy Pelosi's trip to Taiwan with his Chinese counterpart in Bali last month, a senior State Department official said on Wednesday.
Blinken has no plans to meet his Chinese or Russian counterparts this week in Cambodia, the official said, where foreign ministers from ASEAN and more than a dozen other countries are attending regional meetings. (Reuters)
The European Union called on Wednesday for tensions over Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan to be resolved through dialogue and for communication channels with China to be kept open to avoid miscalculation.
"The EU has an interest in preserving peace and the status quo in the Taiwan Strait," a spokesperson for the 27-nation bloc said. "We encourage a peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues. Tensions should be resolved through dialogue. Appropriate channels of communication should be maintained to reduce risks of miscalculation."
The European Commission spoksesperson said the EU had "a clear One China Policy", recognising the government of the People's Republic of China as the sole legal government of China while also pursuing "friendly relations and close cooperation with Taiwan". (Reuters)
China on Wednesday suspended exports of natural sand to Taiwan and halted imports of fruit and fish products from the self-governed island as US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in a trip condemned by Beijing. Here is a list of items that have been banned.
1. Natural sand: China’s commerce ministry said exports of natural sand — widely used for construction and in concrete — to Taiwan were suspended from Wednesday.
2. Fruit and fish: China also halted imports of citrus fruit, chilled white striped hairtail and frozen horse mackerel from Taiwan from Wednesday, a suspension which it said was due to pesticide residue found on citrus fruit, while traces of the novel coronavirus were detected on the packaging of some frozen fish products in June. China’s top food and agricultural imports from Taiwan include seafood, coffee, dairy products, beverages and vinegar.
3. Two foundations: China also vowed to take “disciplinary actions” against two Taiwan foundations (Taiwan Foundation for Democracy and Taiwan Foreign Ministry’s International Cooperation and Development Fund) which it claimed had aggressively engaged in pro-independence separatist activities.
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US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan briefly crashed Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter, as millions in the country discussed and debated her Asia trip.
The microblogging platform apologised for a half-hour outage of its mobile app in the period immediately before Pelosi’s landing at 10.40 pm on Tuesday, when countless messages tracking her plane flooded social media.
Hu Xijin, the prominent former editor-in-chief of the Global Times, suggested in a now-deleted tweet that Chinese warplanes could “forcibly dispel Pelosi’s plane” and later posted to Weibo saying that the official response didn’t live up to expectations. One humorous reaction, featuring an edited image suggesting a youthful romance between Hu and Pelosi, also circulated widely on the social network. (Bloomberg)
Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said Wednesday that Nancy Pelosi's Taiwan visit was a deliberate attempt by Washington to irritate China.
"I see no other reason to create such an annoyance almost out of the blue, knowing very well what it means for the People's Republic of China," Lavrov said on a visit to Myanmar.
Pelosi's arrival on Tuesday in Taiwan, which China considers a breakaway province, prompted a furious response from Beijing at a time when international tensions are already elevated by the conflict in Ukraine. (Reuters)
As China embarks on an unprecedented six days of military drills surrounding Taiwan, security analysts are warning of mounting risks of escalation even if Beijing seeks to avoid its protests over Nancy Pelosi's visit from sparking full blown conflict.
China announced drills in six locations surrounding Taiwan soon after House Speaker Pelosi landed in Taipei on Tuesday night. China's Eastern Theatre Command said a multi-force exercise involving the Navy, Air Force, Rocket Force, Strategic Support Force and Joint Logistics Support Force, took place in the air and sea to the north, southwest and southeast of Taiwan on Wednesday. Chinese military practiced operations including seal and control, assault at sea and strike on land.
Analysts spoken to by Reuters say it remains unclear if China will fire cruise or ballistic missiles directly over the island, or attempt a blockade for the first time.
Nancy Pelosi, whose Taiwan visit triggered a strong reaction from China said that Beijing did not react as strongly "when the men" from US visited Taiwan.
A reporter for US-based VICE attributed it as a reference to US senators Lindsey Graham, Bob Menendez, Richard Burr, Ben Sasse, Rob Portman, and Ronny Jackson's visit to Taiwan in April.
Furious over the US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's high-profile visit to Taipei, the first by a top American official in 25 years, China Wednesday announced punitive measures on outfits seeking "Taiwan independence”, banned imports of some Taiwanese food products and suspended the export of natural sand.
The Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, a Chinese official body which looks after Taiwan affairs, announced the punitive measures on organisations related to die-hard elements seeking "Taiwan independence".
Under the guise of "democracy" and "cooperation and development", "Taiwan Foundation for Democracy" and "International Cooperation and Development Fund" have wantonly carried out "Taiwan independence" separatist activities in the international arena. (PTI)
As US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday night, upsetting China, India was keenly watching the developments, although it has not yet commented on it.
India does not have formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan yet, as it follows the One-China policy. However, during then-Chinese premier Wen Jiabao’s visit to India in December 2010, India did not mention support for the One-China policy in the joint communique.
While following the One-China policy, India has an office in Taipei for diplomatic functions — India-Taipei Association (ITA) is headed by a senior diplomat. Taiwan has the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center (TECC) in New Delhi. Both were established in 1995.
The United States wants Taiwan to always have freedom with security and will not back away from that, US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Wednesday, during a visit to Taipei fiercely criticised by China.
While respecting the "One China" policy, our solidarity with Taiwan is more important than ever, Pelosi said, during a joint news conference with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen. The US supports the status quo and does not want anything to happen to Taiwan by force, Pelosi added.
Asked about the economic consequences Taiwan has to face as a result of her visit, Pelosi said the US' chips act opens the door for better economic exchanges between the United States and Taiwan.
Taiwan is committed to maintaining the status quo across the Taiwan strait, Tsai said, adding that China's military exercises, launched in response to Pelosi's visit are an unnecessary reaction. (Reuters)
China has summoned the American envoy to Beijing to lodge a stern protest over Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi's high-profile visit to Taipei, warning that Washington will "pay a price" for its "mistakes" and asked it to stop using the Taiwan issue to contain China in any form.
Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng "urgently summoned" the US Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns late Tuesday night and lodged stern representations and strong protests over Pelosi's visit, the highest by a top US leader to Taipei in 25 years.
Noting that the US side shall "pay the price" for its "mistakes" for going ahead with the visit disregarding stern warnings from Beijing, Xie urged the US to immediately address its wrongdoings, take practical measures to undo the adverse effects caused by Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. (PTI)
Nancy Pelosi, at a press meeting in Taiwan on Wednesday, said that there is a struggle between democracy and autocracy in the world.
"As China uses its soft power in order to gain support, we've to talk about Taiwan in terms of its technological advancement and show people Taiwan's courage to become more democratic," she said.
"Demonstration of democracy offers a strong contrast to what's happening in mainland China. No more evidence is needed on what happened in Hong Kong, one country two systems didn't happen. We don't want anything to happen to Taiwan by force," she added.
Taiwan's foreign ministry said China's notice that aircraft should not enter drill areas in waters near the island are a provocation that challenges international order, and Taiwan will stay in contact with countries including the United States to avoid escalating tensions.
China responded to the arrival in Taiwan late on Tuesday of US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi with a burst of military activity. (Reuters)
Taiwan's defence ministry said on Wednesday that Chinese military drills have violated United Nations rules, invaded Taiwan's territorial space and amount to a blockade of its air and sea, amid high tensions as US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi visits the island.
Taiwan's defence ministry said the island will firmly defend its security, counter any move that violates territorial sovereignty and enhance its alertness level with the principle of not asking for war.
The defence ministry added during a news conference on Wednesday that China continues to launch psychological warfare on Taiwan, and that citizens should not believe in rumours and report any fake news to the government. (Reuters)
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen on Wednesday thanked visiting US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for her concrete actions to support Taiwan at this critical moment and said the island will not back down in the face of heightened military threats.
Tsai also told Pelosi on Wednesday that she is one of Taiwan's most devoted friends and thanked her for her unwavering support on the international stage.
Tsai added that Taiwan is a reliable partner of the United States and will continue to work with the US to strengthen collaboration in security, economic development and supply chains. (Reuters)