BEIJING (Dispatches) -- China said on Monday that its military “not sit idly by” if U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi visits Taiwan.
The latest warning was issued during a Chinese foreign ministry regular briefing. Spokesperson Zhao Lijian also said that because of Pelosi’s status as the “No. 3 official of the U.S. government”, a visit to Taiwan, which China claims as its own, would “lead to egregious political impact”.
Pelosi on Monday kicked off an Asia tour that has been shrouded in secrecy following an escalation in tensions with China over Taiwan.
With no word yet if Pelosi will make a stop on the island, she stopped first in Singapore, where Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong urged her at a meeting to strive for “stable” ties with Beijing.
Her Asia itinerary also includes Malaysia, South Korea and Japan, but a possible Taiwan visit has dominated attention in the run-up.
Reports about a plan to visit the island have enraged Beijing and caused unease even in the White House with President Joe Biden trying to lower the temperature with China.
Beijing considers self-ruled Taiwan its territory -- to be seized one day, by force if necessary -- and said it would regard a visit by Pelosi as a major provocation.
Pelosi’s office confirmed her Asia trip in a statement on Sunday once her plane was in the air, following days of U.S. media speculation and the speaker refusing to confirm her itinerary.
The Global Times, China’s hyper-nationalist state-run tabloid, posited that Pelosi might use “emergency excuses like an aircraft fault or refueling” to land at a Taiwanese airport during her Asia tour.
“If she dares to stop in Taiwan, it will be the moment to ignite the powder keg of the situation in the Taiwan Straits,” Hu Xijin, a former Global Times editor and now commentator, tweeted on Monday.
Beijing’s foreign ministry on Monday warned a visit would “seriously threaten the peace and stability” of the Taiwan Strait if it goes ahead.
“If House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visits Taiwan, China will take resolute and strong countermeasures to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” spokesman Zhao said.
“As to what measures, if she dares to go, then let’s wait and see.”
The last House speaker to visit was Newt Gingrich in 1997.
Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping had a tense phone call last week that was clouded by disagreements over Taiwan.
Xi issued an oblique warning to the United States not to “play with fire” over the island.