Nancy Pelosi Meets Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-Wen

Taipei: China strongly condemned the U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan yesterday despite China’s stern warnings and vowed to take targeted military operations as countermeasures.

The visit risks triggering a major crisis between China and the US as China had threatened of serious consequences if Pelosi – the highest-ranking US official to travel to Taiwan in 25 years – went ahead with her visit.

Chinese Foreign Ministry in a statement after she landed in Taipei said, this is a serious violation of the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-U.S. joint communiqués.

It seriously infringed upon China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and gravely undermines peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, it said.

China’s Defence Ministry Spokesperson Wu Qian said that Chinese Defence Ministry is on high alert and will launch a series of targeted military operations as countermeasures and resolutely defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Official Xinhua news agency released the map and coordinates’ information that Chinese People’s Liberation Army will conduct important military exercises and training activities including live-fire drills in the areas surrounding Taiwan island from all the sides. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theater Command is conducting a series of military operations near Taiwan island starting from last night.

Meanwhile, a statement from Nancy Pelosi’s office said the visit is one of several Congressional delegations to Taiwan – and it in no way contradicts longstanding United States policy, guided by the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979, U.S.-China Joint Communiques and the Six Assurances. The United States continues to oppose unilateral efforts to change the status quo.

China’s top political advisory body, The Foreign Affairs Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee called it a major political provocation. National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee said, the visit damaged the political foundations of China-U.S. relations and undermined China-U.S. ties.

Taiwan Work Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China criticized the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of Taiwan and said it’s pursuit of Taiwan independence and its collusion with the U.S. betrays national interests and will only push Taiwan into the abyss and bring disaster to Taiwan compatriots.

Chinese Foreign Ministry also said, the US must take credible actions to observe strictly the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-U.S. joint communiqués, deliver on the five noes commitment made by the U.S. leadership (i.e. not seek a “new Cold War”; not seek to change China’s system; the revitalization of its alliances is not against China; not support Taiwan independence; not look for conflict with China) and not go further down the wrong and dangerous path.