Authorities from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Friday that the country would halt its cooperation with the United States on a range of issues and issued sanctions against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi over her Taiwan visit.
The cooperation issues include military and climate response, with the ministry announcing eight "countermeasures" against the Democrat. The decision comes after Pelosi traveled to Taiwan in "disregard of China's strong opposition and serious representations."
China Sanctions Nancy Pelosi
The announcement noted that China will no longer take part in the previously planned China-U.S. Theater Commanders Talk, Defense Policy Coordination Talks (DPCT), or Military Maritime Consultative Agreement (MMCA) meetings.
The Chinese government is also suspending cooperation on the repatriation of illegal immigrants, legal assistance in criminal matters, cooperation against transnational crimes, counternarcotics cooperation, and talks on climate change.
The U.S. House Speaker and a delegation of House Democrats touched down in Taipei City, Taiwan, on Tuesday. There, they discussed security issues with the Taiwanese government as part of a larger trip to the Indo-Pacific region, as per The Hill.
Chinese officials claimed that Pelosi's visit violated their "one-China policy" and that it "gravely undermines peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. They argued that it also sends a seriously wrong signal to the separatist forces for "Taiwan independence."
The spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry announced on Friday the sanctions against Pelosi for her alleged "disregard of China's grave concerns and firm opposition" to the visit to Taiwan. The ministry wrote that the trip gravely "undermines China's sovereignty and territorial integrity."
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According to CNN, China's Foreign Ministry also said that it would suspend anti-drug cooperation with the United States. The cooperative effort has already been strained in recent years due to various factors. The U.S. blamed China for failing to stop synthetic opioids from reaching the U.S. as both Beijing and Washington disagree on how to counteract the problem.
One-China Policy
The announcement of the sanctions came after Beijing revealed its plans to issue such decisions that would affect Pelosi and her immediate family. China also conducted military drills and warplane incursions around the self-governing island nation.
The ministry also said on Friday that Pelosi's trip meant that the United States government was "seriously interfering in China's internal affairs." The U.S. House Speaker's trip to Taiwan, where she met with President Tsai Ing-wen, infuriated China's Communist Party.
During a news conference held in Tokyo, which was Pelosi's last stop on her Asia tour, struck a defiant tone, arguing that China had sought to isolate Taiwan from the international community but would not prevent U.S. officials from traveling there.
Spokesman John Kirby said that senior U.S. officials have been meeting regularly with their Chinese counterparts over the dispute. While calling China's actions "provocative." He said that the Biden administration condemned Beijing's military maneuvers as irresponsible and "at odds with our long-standing goal of maintaining peace and stability and across the Taiwan Strait.
The official also said that the U.S. is prepared for whatever China chooses to do in response to the American government's decisions regarding Taiwan. Kirby noted that The U.S. is not seeking and does not want a crisis, the Associated Press reported.
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