Move FM Global News

BEIJING, China: After reports about U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s upcoming visit to Taiwan, the Chinese government warned that her visit would spark “forceful measures.”

The Financial Times reported that Pelosi and her delegation would visit the Chinese-claimed island in August, along with Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore, and spend time in Hawaii at the headquarters of the U.S. Indo-Pacific command.

Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry has denied receiving any “relevant information” about a Pelosi visit.

Asked about the report, Drew Hammill, Pelosi’s deputy chief of staff, said, “We do not confirm or deny international travel in advance, due to longstanding security protocols.”

Speaking in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said any visit by Pelosi would “seriously undermine China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

“If the U.S. side obstinately clings to this course, China will definitely take resolute and forceful measures to firmly defend its national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he said. “The United States must be fully responsible for all the consequences caused by this.”

U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price, asked about China’s reaction, said: “I believe the foreign ministry was weighing in on a hypothetical. That is something that I will hesitate doing here.”

Taiwan faces mounting pressure from China, which considers the democratically governed island to be its own territory. The issue is a constant irritant in ties between Beijing and Washington.

The White House has expressed concern about the Pelosi trip, the Financial Times said.

Some officials believed it had been easier to justify a visit in April, as that was just after the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it added.