– This is a complete farce. The US violates China’s sovereignty under the guise of so-called “democracy”. Those who insult China will be punished, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on the sidelines of the meeting of the Asian Cooperation Organization Asean on Wednesday.
This is reported by Chinese state media.
Pelosi landed Tuesday night in Taiwan, which China claims is its territory. The visit has caused strong reactions from the Chinese side, and concern about increased unrest in the region.
Pelosi, for her part, said during the visit that she and other members of Congress will not turn their backs on their commitments to the island.
– Today the world faces a choice between democracy and autocracy. America’s determination to preserve democracy, here in Taiwan and around the world, remains set in stone, Pelosi said in a brief speech during a meeting with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen.
– THE COMMITMENT: Pelosi vowed that neither she nor the other members of Congress will neglect their commitments to Taiwan. Photo: AP / NTB
–
– Our delegation has come to Taiwan to make it unequivocally clear that we will not turn our backs on our commitments to Taiwan, continued Pelosi.
China, which considers Taiwan its territory, has reacted strongly to the visit and, after Pelosi’s delegation landed in Taipei, has launched several military exercises around the island.
Reactions
During the meeting, President Tsai thanked Pelosi for her commitment and presented her with a medal of honor.
– Taiwan will not back down in the face of increased military threats. We will our performance sovereignty and continue to hold the line of defense for democracy, said Tsai.
The president considers Taiwan an independent state, which has prompted China to increase pressure on the island since it came to power in 2016.
On Wednesday, China also imposed new restrictions on the import of citrus fruits and fish from Taiwan, in addition to stopping shipments of sand to the island.
– REACTIONS: China has reacted strongly to the fact that a high-ranking congressman has chosen to visit Taiwan. Photo: AP / NTB
–
China justifies the restrictions in, among other things, alleged findings of too much pesticide residue.
Military exercises
Tsai calls China’s military exercises in the wake of Pelose’s visit an unnecessary reaction. On Tuesday evening, 21 Chinese military aircraft allegedly violated Taiwan’s airspace, according to the island’s defense ministry.
18 of the planes are said to have been fighter planes, two of them were transport planes while the last was a warning and control plane.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense calls China’s actions psychological warfare and instructs Taiwanese not to believe rumors and report fake news to the authorities.
–
