Politics- China on Monday reiterated the possibility of a military response if Pelosi visits Taiwan.
- Pelosi hasn't confirmed she'll visit Taiwan, citing security concerns, but reports suggest she will.
China on Monday warned once again of a possible military response if House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visits Taiwan during her tour of Asia this week.
"The Chinese side has expressed its serious concerns and solemn position to the US side many times recently that it firmly opposes House Speaker Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, stressing that her visit to Taiwan will lead to serious consequences," Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters. "Playing with fire will set yourself on fire," he added, repeating a comment Chinese leader Xi Jinping told President Joe Biden last week.
"We would like to warn the US again that China is standing by, and the Chinese People's Liberation Army will never sit idly by and will take resolute and strong countermeasures to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity," Zhao said, doubling down on China's prior warning of a potential military reaction to Pelosi visiting the self-governed island democracy.
China regards Taiwan as Chinese territory over which it has indisputable sovereignty and has signaled that it would view Pelosi visiting as a sign of support for the island's independence, a red line for Beijing. The House Speaker would be the highest-ranking US lawmaker to visit Taiwan in a quarter century, and her presence on the island would carry a great deal of symbolic weight.
Pelosi has declined to confirm whether she will travel to Taiwan as she journeys to countries across Asia this week, citing security concerns. But CNN on Monday reported that Pelosi is expected to visit, citing a senior Taiwanese official and a US official.
Under the provisions of the One China policy, the US does not support Taiwan's independence and does not have formal diplomatic relations with Taipei, but the US does maintain a robust relationship with Taiwan and is its top supplier of arms.
Beyond supplying weapons to bolster Taiwan's defensive capabilities, the US has for decades maintained a policy of strategic ambiguity when it comes to the question of whether it would respond militarily to a Chinese attack on Taiwan. In other words, Washington has been deliberately vague on the issue. President Joe Biden, however, has been accused of confusing that policy by suggesting, on more than one occasion, that the US would come to Taiwan's defense in such a scenario. Biden's comments, which were walked back by the White House, have frustrated China.
The Biden administration's position on whether Pelosi ought to visit Taiwan has also been wishy-washy. Biden in late July said the military "thinks it's not a good idea right now" for Pelosi to travel to Taiwan. But the White House has also said that it's Pelosi's decision to travel to the island, adding that it would provide the House Speaker with support if she chooses to do so.
"We want to make sure that when she travels overseas, she can do so safely and securely, and we're going to make sure of that. There is no reason for the Chinese rhetoric. There is no reason for any actions to be taken. It is not uncommon for congressional leaders to travel to Taiwan," National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said to CNN's Brianna Keilar on "New Day."
—The Recount (@therecount) August 1, 2022
'There's a risk of an accident'
Top China experts have warned that Pelosi visiting Taiwan increases the risk of an "accident" that could lead to a military crisis in the region.
A Chinese military aircraft, for example, could attempt to "interfere" with a plane carrying Pelosi and potentially even try to prevent it from landing, Bonnie Glaser, a leading China expert and director of the Asia program at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, told Insider last week.
In such a situation, Taiwan would likely scramble its own fighters if Chinese military aircraft entered its Air Defense Identification Zone. Reports also indicate the Pentagon has made plans to potentially call on US warplanes and ships to provide additional security near Taiwan if Pelosi visits, though it is unclear exactly how those assets could come into play.
It's unlikely that there would be "shooting," but Glaser said such a tense scenario "increases the potential for an accident."
China has not said how it might respond, though Air Force spokesperson Shen Jinke said at an airshow over the weekend that the People's Liberation Army Air Force has many different type of fighter jets able to circle and surround "the precious island of our motherland."
He added, according to Reuters, that China's "air force has the firm will, full confidence and sufficient capability to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity."