Taiwan: Nancy Pelosi's trip described as "extremely dangerous" by Beijing

He accused Ms Pelosi, the highest ranking US politician in 25 years to visit the island China claims as its own, of "playing with fire". (BBC)

"Those who play with fire will perish," Beijing warned in a statement.

Ms Pelosi said her visit “honours America’s unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwan’s vibrant democracy” and does not contradict US policy.

When his plane landed, Chinese state media reported that his military planes were crossing the Taiwan Strait. Taiwan has denied any such action occurred.

China - which sees Taiwan as a breakaway province that will one day reunite with it - has previously warned that its armed forces "will not stand idly by".

In her statement, Pelosi said, "America's solidarity with Taiwan's 23 million people is more important than ever today, as the world faces a choice between autocracy and democracy."

In an article published at the same time in the Washington Post newspaper, Ms. Pelosi also wrote that Taiwan's "robust democracy...is under threat".

"In the face of escalating Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aggression, our delegation's visit to Congress should be seen as an unequivocal statement that America stands with Taiwan, our democratic partner. , as she stands up for herself and defends her freedom," she said. .

China reacted furiously, promising to conduct “targeted military exercises” in response.

He also announced that the People's Liberation Army will conduct a series of live ammunition military drills in the air and at sea around Taiwan later this week, warning ships and planes not to enter affected areas.

This follows days of escalating tensions before the visit, during which Chinese warplanes had already ventured to the Middle Line, the unofficial boundary line separating China and Taiwan in the waters that separate them.

However, while Ms Pelosi's visit had been the subject of extensive international speculation for days, she had been shrouded in secrecy until the last minute.

When she set off on a tour of Asia on Sunday, there was no mention of Taiwan on her official itinerary, which included Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan.

The White House openly opposed such a trip, and President Joe Biden said the military called it “not a good idea.”

China is exerting international pressure on other nations to accept its “One China” policy – ​​that there is only one Chinese nation, based in Beijing. Only 15 countries in the world maintain official diplomatic relations with Taiwan.

Longstanding US policy has been to recognize the government in Beijing, but also to maintain "robust unofficial" relations with Taiwan. This includes selling weapons for Taiwan to defend itself.

As Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Ms. Pelosi is second in line for the U.S. presidency after Vice President. Yet she is also a longtime critic of Beijing.

As a member of Congress in 1991, two years after the Chinese government harshly cracked down on protesters in Tiananmen Square, she visited the site of the protests and unfurled a banner in memory of those who died, provoking an angry reaction from the government. .

Ms Pelosi is expected to spend the night, Taiwanese media reported, and meet with members of the Legislative Yuan on Wednesday.

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