At his regular press conference on July 19, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian warned of the possible repercussions from visit by Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan. His particularly forceful statement noted that Pelosi, as Speaker of the House, is in the line of succession for President, therefore making her formal visit to Taiwan unlike any other. “The U.S. Congress is part of the U.S. government and supposed to strictly adhere to the U.S.’s one-China policy,” Zhao said in his reply to a question from Reuters. “If Speaker Pelosi visits Taiwan, it would seriously violate the one-China principle and the stipulations in the three China-U.S. joint communiqués and harm China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. It will have a severe negative impact on the political foundation of China-U.S. relations, and send a gravely wrong signal to `Taiwan independence’ separatist forces. China firmly opposes such a visit.
“The U.S. must not arrange for Speaker Pelosi to visit the Taiwan region and must stop official interactions with Taiwan, stop creating factors that could lead to tensions in the Taiwan Strait, and follow through on the U.S.’s commitment of not supporting `Taiwan independence.’ 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,” Zhao concluded.
