China Sanctions Pelosi After Taiwan Visit – Cuts Off Climate Change Talks With US

China is taking action to express its displeasure with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) recent visit to Taiwan. China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson announced sanctions against Pelosi and her family on Friday…

Bradley CortrightAug 5, 20223 min read

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to visit Taiwan, despite warnings that there could be retaliation.

Chinese officials maintain that Taiwan is a part of China.

However, Taiwanese officials dispute that notion and say that the modern Chinese state never included the island in its territory.

China’s President Xi Jinping has stated that “reunification” with Taiwan “must be fulfilled.”

Pelosi said in a statement Tuesday, “Our discussions with Taiwan leadership will focus on reaffirming our support for our partner and on promoting our shared interests, including advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific region.”

“America’s solidarity with the 23 million people of Taiwan is more important today than ever, as the world faces a choice between autocracy and democracy,” she added.

At a press conference on Thursday, the House speaker stated that “Our representation here is not about changing the status quo here in Asia, changing the status quo of Taiwan.”

“It’s about again the Taiwan relations and the U.S.-China policy, all of the pieces of legislation and agreements that have established what our relationship is, to have peace in the Taiwan Straits and to have the status quo prevail,” she added.

National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on Monday, “We have repeatedly said that we oppose unilateral changes to the status quo from either side. We have said that we do not support Taiwan independence. And we have said that we expect cross strait differences to be resolved by peaceful means.”

China has also commenced live fire drills that essentially encircle Taiwan following Pelosi’s visit.