China has issued stronger private warnings than before to the administration of US President Joe Biden over House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s upcoming trip to Taiwan.
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China has publicly threatened “strong action” if Pelosi makes a planned August visit. But one source said China has expressed “stronger resistance” to the US privately than before. Several other people familiar with the situation said private the statements went even further, suggesting a possible military response.
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Several sources said the White House is trying to determine whether China is posing serious threats or “teetering on the brink of war” in an attempt to pressure Pelosi to cancel the trip.
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According to the newspaper, two sources familiar with the discussions said US national security adviser Jake Sullivan and other senior national security council officials opposed the trip because of the risk of escalating tensions in the Taiwan Strait.
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In addition, it is noted that several people familiar with the situation said that the controversy over the trip has raised concern among Washington’s allies, who are concerned that the trip could provoke a crisis between the US and China.
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People in Taipei briefed on national security issues said the risk that Beijing could noticeably escalate military aggression in response to Pelosi’s visit is more pronounced than last year, given rising tensions.
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Earlier, Biden, citing the position of the Pentagon, said that Pelosi’s planned trip to Taiwan does not seem like a good idea at the moment, and Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said that Beijing will take effective measures if the speaker of the House of Representatives visits Taiwan.
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Initially, the trip of the US delegation led by Pelosi to Taiwan was supposed to take place in April. It was reported that the visit, which will inevitably provoke protests from Beijing, could be the first visit to the island since 1997 by the speaker of the US House of Representatives.
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Later, a spokesman for the speaker’s administration, Drew Hammill, said that Pelosi had tested positive for the coronavirus, and the visit was postponed indefinitely. The Chinese Foreign Ministry then wished her recovery and urged Washington not to postpone, but to cancel the visit to the island, which Beijing considers its own.
