China ups ante: ‘Pelosi’s reckless Taiwan trip will bring disaster’

Beijing, Aug 2 (EFE).-China stated on Tuesday that Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the US House, visiting Taiwan would be “reckless” and have “disastrous repercussions” for the self-governed island.

“(It is) hard to imagine anything more reckless and provocative than” Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told reporters.

If the US handled the delicate situation improperly, according to Hua, it would have “disastrous consequences,” not just for Taiwan but also for the “prosperity and security of the whole world.”

Pelosi kicked off her high-profile four-nation Asian tour Monday with her first stopover in Singapore.

She left for Malaysia on Tuesday, and her next flights are to South Korea and Japan.

Taiwan is not mentioned in Pelosi’s travel agenda.

But Taiwanese and American media have widely reported that she will visit the self-government island on Tuesday night, in defiance of stern warnings from China.

China’s military and civilian officials have warned of possible consequences if Pelosi, the second in line to the US presidency, undertakes the trip to the self-governing island that Beijing claims as a part of its territory.

Secretary of State Anthony Blinken Monday told reporters that Pelosi would “make her own decisions about whether or not to visit Taiwan.

“If the Speaker does decide to visit, and China tries to create some kind of crisis or otherwise escalate tensions, that would be entirely on Beijing,” Blinken warned.

In response to Blinken’s remarks, Hua refused to accept that the visit would be independent of the US government’s position.

“When the House speaker, being the third-highest ranking figure in the US government, flies on a US military plane to make a provocative visit to the Taiwan region, it is certainly not unofficial behavior,” Hua said.

She warned that any countermeasures from Beijing would be “justified” in response to such an “unscrupulous behavior.”

Hua warned that China would take “strong and resolute measures” to safeguard its sovereignty if Pelosi carried on down the “wrong path.”

“The US should give up any attempt to play the Taiwan card,” she said.

Tensions across the Taiwan Straits have escalated drastically with increasing military activities from the Chinese and Taiwanese sides.

In the past, China has responded to visits by foreign officials with an increased number of air sorties into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone or across the median line that divides the strait.China has flown six fighter planes in the last two days close to the median line.Two Chinese warships, a missile destroyer, and a frigate were reportedly spotted in international waters off the Lanyu Island in the east early on Tuesday morning, said Taiwan’s official news agency CNA.

Taiwan’s defense ministry, in a statement, said on Tuesday that its military was prepared to send “appropriate armed forces according to the threat.” “The military is determined, confident, and capable of ensuring national security,” it added.

China’s state-run Global Times reported that the aircraft carrier Liaoning left East China’s Qingdao on July 31 heading southward, and the Shandong left South China’s Sanya on Aug.1, heading northward.

It said some netizens on Twitter and Weibo had posted satellite pictures of the movement, speculating whether they were to conduct dual carriers’ operations in the Taiwan Straits. EFE