US Speaker Nancy Pelosi Visits Taiwan, China Threatens To Punish The Country Amid Fear Of Losing Sovereignty
Written By: Aashish Vashistha
August 3, 2022 (New Delhi): US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan after 25 years. Nancy Pelosi, who is second in line to the presidency and also the highest-profile elected US official to visit Taiwan in 25 years, has ignited a diplomatic firestorm with China after her visit to the island. Amid massive outrage and consistent threats from China, US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi today said her delegation’s visit to Taiwan was a show of support for the island, as she concluded a one-day visit that left China irritating. Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen said the island would “not back down”.
While visiting the island, Ms Pelosi said during an event with President Tsai Ing-wen, “Today, our delegation… came to Taiwan to make unequivocally clear we will not abandon our commitment to Taiwan and we are proud of our enduring friendship”. On the contrary, China also announced live-fire military drills encircling Taiwan, in a move Taipei’s Defence Ministry said, “threatened the island’s key ports and urban areas.” This indicates how frustrated China becomes after Pelosi’s visits to Taiwan after 25 years. Taiwan’s Defence Ministry also said China’s military exercises breach the island’s territorial waters. “Some of the areas of China’s drills breach into… (Taiwan’s) territorial waters,” Defence Ministry spokesman Sun Li-fang said at a press conference. “This is an irrational move to challenge the international order.”
China reacted on Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan instantly and in its economic retaliation to her visit, China rolled out curbs on the import of fruit and fish from Taiwan while halting shipments of sand to the island. China has vowed to seize self-ruled, democratic Taiwan one day, by force if necessary. Beijing tries to keep the island isolated on the world stage and opposes countries having official exchanges with Taipei.
For the unversed, The United States is following One-China Policy like India, which says it take no position on the status of Taiwan and China and wants them to resolve their disputes. China and Taiwan split in 1949, the One-China policy only recognises China and not the existence of Taiwan. Also, Beijing had conveyed to New Delhi that reiteration of the One-China policy would enhance mutual trust between the two countries. But India declined to reaffirm the policy after Beijing issued “stapled visas” instead of normal visas to Jammu and Kashmir residents travelling to China.