On Wednesday, President Joe Biden said the U.S. military does not think House Speaker Nancy Pelosi should travel to Taiwan after the Chinese Communist Party lobbed new threats of a “strong” response against the U.S. over the reported visit.
“NEWS: Biden says the military says a @SpeakerPelosi trip to Taiwan is not a good idea right now. He was speaking to reporters on tarmac in DC after Massachusetts trip,” Bloomberg News reporter Jennifer Jacobs tweeted.
The Daily Caller’s Shelby Talcott also tweeted about the president’s remarks, writing, “‘The military thinks it’s not a good idea right now,” Biden says on Pelosi visiting Taiwan.”
On Tuesday, Financial Times reported Pelosi will visit Taiwan in August, marking the first time a U.S. Speaker of the House will travel to the island in 25 years.
At a press conference shortly after the report was published, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said, “If Speaker Pelosi visits Taiwan, it would seriously violate the one-China principle and the stipulations in the three China-U.S. joint communiqués and harm China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
“It will have a severe negative impact on the political foundation of China-U.S. relations, and send a gravely wrong signal to ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces,” Zhao added.
“We urge the U.S. side to adhere to the one-China principle and the stipulations in the three China-U.S. joint communiqués,” Zhao continued. “The US must not arrange for Speaker Pelosi to visit the Taiwan region and must stop official interactions with Taiwan, stop creating factors that could lead to tensions in the Taiwan Strait, and follow through on the US’s commitment of not supporting ‘Taiwan independence.’”
“Should the U.S. side insist on doing otherwise, China will take strong and resolute measures to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he concluded. “The US must assume full responsibility for any ensuing consequences.”
China’s threats come just two days after the communist nation demanded President Biden’s administration immediately cancel an estimated $108 million arms sale to Taiwan.
Prior to the demand, the Pentagon announced that the U.S. State Department had approved the “possible” multi-million dollar sale to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States. Taipei is the capital city of Taiwan.
The Pentagon asserted that the proposed sale “serves U.S. national, economic, and security interests by supporting the recipient’s continuing efforts to modernize its armed forces and to maintain a credible defensive capability.”
