The Chinese foreign ministry continues to threaten the US if a delegation, led by Speaker of The House Nancy Pelosi, carries through with a visit to the self-ruled island of Taiwan. Spokesperson Zhao Lijian of the CCP intimated again yesterday that any visit to Taiwan by the US contingent will be met with “serious consequences.” The comment comes after Chinese President Xi Jinping, on a call last Thursday with US President Joe Biden, warned him that “those who play with fire will perish by it.”
The US delegation of congressional Democrats is amid an Asia-Pacific trip that includes stops in Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, and Japan. For security purposes, a visit to Taiwan was never formally announced; however, the potential stop on tour was leaked to the press, sparking controversy in both the US and China.
The reaction to the visit by the Chinese Communist Party is partly due to President XI’s desire for the reunification of Taiwan and China as part of Chinese territory. Xi fears that the trip by this US delegation is a show of support for Taiwan’s independence and flies in the face of the CCP plan. Taiwan has viewed itself as an independent country, while CCP officials look at the island as nothing but a breakaway province.
The ambiguity of US President Biden’s policy on relations between Taiwan and China has heightened the conflict. In March of 2022, President Biden’s affirmation of whether the US would support Taiwan militarily if China invaded contradicted the “One China Policy.” The response drew the ire of the CCP despite the Biden administration’s best effort to walk it back.
On Saturday, the Chinese military initiated live-fire military drills in the Taiwan Strait and released a video of Chinese missile strikes in anticipation of the Pelosi and entourage visit.
