China Warns "Strong Measures" If House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Visits Taiwan, Accuses US of Creating Security Risks

On Tuesday, China warns to retaliate if House Speaker Nancy Pelosi goes forward with her scheduled trip to Taiwan.

With its frequent provocations in the Taiwan Strait, the US is a manufacturer of security threats, China's military issued a warning on Wednesday, as another US vessel transited the crucial waterway. According to the US Navy's 7th Fleet, the destroyer USS Benfold transited the Taiwan Strait in international seas in compliance with international law.

US Ship Sails Near South China Sea

The US has been making similar journeys roughly once a month, which has enraged China, which sees them as a show of support for Taiwan, the democratically ruled island that Beijing considers to be Chinese territory.

In a statement, the People's Liberation Army's Eastern Theatre Command stated that its soldiers had followed and warned the ship throughout. According to the US Navy, the ship traveled through a gap in the Strait that is outside the territorial sea of any coastal State.

As reported by Taiwan's Defense Ministry, the US ship went north across the strait and the situation in the waterway was as usual. The Benfold has been conducting Freedom of Navigation Operations in the disputed South China Sea for the last week, Reuters via MSN reported.

Meanwhile, China vowed punishment on Tuesday if House Speaker Nancy Pelosi goes ahead with her trip to Taiwan. Pelosi is the second-in-line to the president and would be the highest-ranking American legislator to visit Taiwan since former Speaker Newt Gingrich visited 25 years ago.

Following various news sites, the trip is scheduled for August. The speaker was supposed to come in April, but he had to cancel after testing positive for COVID-19.

The trial for Pelosi's husband Paul's DUI offense is set for August 3. A visit by Pelosi would severely undermine China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, have a major impact on the foundation of China-US ties and send a very erroneous signal to Taiwan independence forces, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhao Lijiang said at a regular briefing.

China Ramps up Aggression Toward Taiwan

China has escalated its aggressiveness toward Taiwan in recent months, while President Biden's administration has provided contradictory signals about whether the US would defend the island democracy in the event of a confrontation with China.

Beijing has promised to take Taiwan by force if necessary and has flown airplanes close to Taiwanese airspace and performed military drills in the South China Sea to demonstrate its resolve. Biden underlined that the United States supports the so-called One China policy, which states that only the People's Republic of China is 'China', and that the United States' diplomatic connection with Taiwan is thus unofficial.

For decades, the US has adopted a strategy of strategic ambiguity, refusing to indicate how much military participation it would have in a fight between Taiwan and Beijing. China possesses the world's largest standing army, as well as the most modern fleet and a massive arsenal of missiles aimed across the 100-mile-wide Taiwan Strait, according to Daily Mail.

Jean-Pierre stated that the US remains "rock solid" in its support for Taiwan while underlining the US's longtime commitment to the "One China" policy, which recognizes Beijing as China's government but allows for informal interactions and defense links with Taipei.

While Washington retains a policy of strategic ambiguity about whether it would defend Taiwan in a conflict with China, US law requires it to ensure the island has the means to defend itself and consider threats to its security as matters of grave concern.

Zhao did not specify what steps China may take in retaliation to Pelosi's visit, but Beijing has often utilized military flights and war simulations to express its displeasure. Chinese pilots have also been accused of taking aggressive action against the US and allied surveillance planes flying in international airspace off the Chinese coast, as well as employing lasers and other tactics to harass Western vessels in the South China Sea.

China's greatest significant threat to Taiwan came in 1995-1996, when it conducted military drills and launched missiles into waters north and south of the island in reaction to then-President Lee Teng-visit hui's to the United States, as per Republic World.

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