China warned Washington that it should not continue the scheduled Pelosi's Taipei visit, or it would not be pleasant, and Beijing would not be short of a military reaction.
Respect the One China Policy
According to six unnamed people who know the situation, the Financial Times claimed on Sunday that the most recent warnings were sent in private to President Joe Biden's cabinet officials.
The warning was much tougher than prior comments made by Chinese officials about controversial US activities or Taiwan-related policy decisions, reported RT.
Beijing has upped the ante following the conflict with the Biden administration's prospective push for US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's trip to Taiwan. It will not be short of an armed PLA response to the controversial move.
According to reports, Pelosi will travel to Taipei next month. This will be the first time a House speaker has visited the secessionist nation since 1997, citing SCMP.
Last Tuesday, Zhao Lijian, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, warned that Pelosi's Taipei visit would have a "severe impact" on US-China ties. Zhao urged the US to turn around from its current course in harsh terms.
He cautioned that in the face of a meddling Biden administration that will pay for its interference, China will not falter but instead become more steadfast in defending its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Washington Could Violate Chinese Policy
Chinese officials also claim that a trip to Taipei by a high-ranking official such as the House Speaker, who would become the next president if the president and vice president were both incapacitated, would be in violation of the US's "One China" policy.
On this technicality, Washington acknowledges Beijing's claim to Taiwanese sovereignty. Wang Wenbin, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, reiterated Beijing's obligation to take decisive action on Friday without oversimplifying it.
The planned trip by Pelosi is reportedly problematic in the eyes of the Pentagon. When pressed about it by reporters last Wednesday, Biden answered that the military had stated it wasn't good right now and that he didn't know how his foreign policy was developing.
Last Thursday, she informed reporters that the president was not raising any issues regarding the visit, predicting that the PLA would shoot her jet down.
White House officials are trying to ascertain if the most recent Chinese warning is a serious concern or just saber-rattling to persuade Pelosi not to go on the trip.
Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser for the US, is against the visit as he thinks it will heighten tensions in the Taiwan Strait.
The Speaker of the House received all the information necessary to decide whether to proceed with her scheduled trip before she left. The decision is up to her, according to NSA spokesperson John Kirby.
In recent months, there has been an increase in tension over US-China relations. The outlet had reported earlier that the Speaker planned to travel to Taiwan to express her support as demand from the mainland for unification grows.
In no terms does China approve of Washington and an impending Pelosi's Taipei visit which is drawing the ire from Beijing.
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