After unleashing its military power in a show of force against Taiwan, China on Friday stomped its foot in a fit of diplomatic pique over the visit of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to the island it claims is its turf.
Without offering specifics, China said it will sanction Pelosi and her family over the trip, which came despite more than two weeks of fierce Chinese opposition.
China’s Foreign Ministry also said it will no longer engage in dialogue with the United States over issues that include climate change, military issues and anti-drug measures, according to Axios.
As China continued military exercises in the airspace and waters surrounding Taiwan, its foreign ministry continued rhetorical broadsides, calling her trip an “egregious provocation.”
The Biden administration responded to China’s military jaw-jutting with a diplomatic protest, according to The Washington Post.
“After China’s actions overnight, we summoned [People’s Republic of China] Ambassador Qin Gang to the White House to démarche him about the PRC’s provocative actions,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said in a statement. “We condemned the PRC’s military actions, which are irresponsible and at odds with our long-standing goal of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.” A démarche is a diplomatic protest.
NBC noted that on Friday, China pushed its ships and planes across an unofficial dividing line in the 100-mile-wide Taiwan Strait. This followed a day in which Japan said five Chinese missiles landed in the waters of its exclusive economic zone and China claimed one missile flew over Taiwan, which would be a first.
The Taiwanese Defense Ministry has bristled, but has not lifted a military finger.
“Whether it is launching ballistic missiles or deliberately crossing the middle line of the strait, the CCP’s military exercises are highly provocative,” the ministry said in a statement, according to the Washington Post.
Was Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan a mistake?
Taiwanese Premier Su Tseng-chang said her nation represents “freedom and democracy,” and that “the evil neighbor next door flexed its muscles on our doorstep and arbitrarily sabotaged (one of) the busiest waterways in the world with military exercises,” according to CNN.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan called for the military exercises to stop, according to The New York Times.
China’s aggressive military displays are having “a serious impact on the peace and stability of the region and the world,” he said.
Although China’s military drills are supposed to end this week, tensions may linger. Kirby said the United States will be sending ships and planes through the Taiwan Strait in the coming weeks, while the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and its battle group remain near Taiwan.
