The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Tuesday warned of consequences if U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi visits the Taiwan region.
Pelosi plans to visit Taiwan in August, the Financial Times reported on Monday, citing people familiar with the matter. The U.S. administration was divided over whether she should make the trip, the FT quoted two people familiar with the situation as saying.
At a regular press briefing in Beijing on Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said the Chinese side has stated on many occasions that it is firmly opposed to any form of official interaction between the United States and the Taiwan region.
Congress is a branch of the U.S. government and should abide by the one-China policy that the U.S. upholds, said Zhao.
"If Speaker Pelosi visits Taiwan, this would gravely violate the one-China principle and the stipulations of the three China-U.S. joint communiques, seriously undermine China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, severely impact the political foundation of China-U.S. relations and send a seriously wrong signal to 'Taiwan independence' secessionist forces," he said.
"China is resolutely opposed to that."
Zhao said, "China demands that the U.S. side abide by the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-U.S. joint communiques, refrain from arranging for the speaker to visit Taiwan, stop official interaction with Taiwan, stop creating factors that lead to tensions across the Taiwan Straits and take concrete action to fulfill its commitment of not supporting 'Taiwan independence.'"
"If the U.S. side is bent on going its own way, China will take resolute and forceful measures to firmly safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity," said Zhao. "All possible consequences that arise from this will completely be borne by the U.S. side."
On Tuesday, Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, also rejected Pelosi's plan to visit the Taiwan region.
Recently, some members of the U.S. Congress have repeatedly taken provocative action on the Taiwan question to condone and abet "Taiwan independence" secessionist forces with the aim of playing the "Taiwan card" to contain China and hinder China's reunification process, said Zhu.
She urged them to realize the sensitivity of the Taiwan question and the grave danger posed by "Taiwan independence" secessionist acts and stop the provocations.
In whatever name and by whatever form, the Democratic Progressive Party authorities will only end up in failure when they attempt to seek "Taiwan independence" by colluding with external anti-China forces, she said.
China expressed its opposition and lodged solemn representations with the U.S. side when Pelosi planned to visit the Taiwan region back in April. She later dropped the trip, citing a positive COVID-19 test.