China Plans Military Response for Pelosi's Visit to Taiwan

 China Plans Military Response for Pelosi's Visit to Taiwan

BY ZOE STROZEWSKI ON 8/2/22 AT 2:06 PM EDT

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China will reportedly conduct "targeted" military actions in response to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's Taiwan visit, which has been sharply condemned by Chinese officials.

China's plans for a military response, as well as its placing of the Chinese military on high alert, was reported by Reuters, which cited the country's defense ministry. It was not immediately clear what the operations would entail.

Any statements or announcements on the plans did not appear to be publicly available on the website of China's defense ministry by Tuesday afternoon. When Newsweek reached out to the ministry for comment using an email address listed on its website, the message would not be delivered. China's foreign ministry, the U.S. Defense Department and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, a de facto embassy in New York City, were also contacted for comment.

Pelosi, a California Democrat, arrived in Taiwan's capital of Taipei on Tuesday during her ongoing tour of Asia. News reports began circulating in July that Pelosi would travel to Taiwan in what would be the highest-level visit by an American official to the island in 25 years, but she did not officially confirm the stop until she arrived.

"Our Congressional delegation's visit to Taiwan honors America's unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwan's vibrant Democracy," she said in a statement.

Pelosi Plane Arrives in Taiwan

China will reportedly conduct "targeted" military actions in response to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's Taiwan visit, which has been sharply condemned by Chinese officials. Above, a U.S. government plane carrying Pelosi and her delegation arrives at Songshan Airport on August 2 in Taipei, Taiwan.

ANNABELLE CHIH/GETTY IMAGES

In recent weeks, Chinese officials repeatedly condemned the prospect of such a visit and warned that following through with the trip would result in "consequences."

"The U.S. must not arrange for Speaker Pelosi to visit the Taiwan region and must stop official interactions with Taiwan," Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said last month. "Should the U.S. side insist on doing otherwise, China will take strong and resolute measures to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity. The U.S. must assume full responsibility for any ensuing consequences."

News that Pelosi had officially landed in Taipei on Tuesday was again met with outrage from China.

Hua Chunying, a spokesperson for China's foreign ministry and the assistant minister of foreign affairs, tweeted that "China will definitely take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity in response to the U.S. Speaker's visit."

"All the consequences arising therefrom must be borne by the U.S. side and the 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces," she added.

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Taiwan, officially called the Republic of China (ROC), has been governed independently from mainland China since 1949, but Chinese officials have maintained that they view Taiwan as an "inalienable" part of China.

In addition to the Chinese defense ministry's announcement of "targeted" military operations, the Eastern Theater Command of China's People's Liberation Army also said that it would be conducting joint military operations near Taiwan beginning Tuesday, Reuters reported.

Newsweek