Pelosi promises the US won’t “abandon” Taiwan as she concludes historic trip
During a historic trip to Taiwan on Wednesday, US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said her visit was intended to make it “unequivocally clear” that the United States “will not abandon” the democratically-governed island. See the article : High-tech products are a hit at an international exhibition. .
Pelosi left Taiwan on Wednesday, en route to the South Korean capital Seoul, after becoming the first Speaker of the US House in 25 years to visit the autonomous island.
Pelosi’s praise for the island’s commitment to democracy was a significant show of support for Taipei, which came hours after China threatened to retaliate for its presence with a series of military exercises that -Taiwanese Ministry of Defense likened it to a “sea and air blockade”.
Beijing had repeatedly warned of dire consequences if the trip went ahead — even going so far as to warn US President Joe Biden that those who played with fire would “disappear” with it.
But warnings from Beijing — and even a suggestion from Biden himself that the US military thought the trip was “not a good idea” — did not deter Pelosi, 82, from flying to the island with ‘ delegation of Congress on Tuesday and meets. with its main officers.
“We are proud of our enduring friendship,” Pelosi said, speaking alongside Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen at the presidential office in Taipei the morning after her arrival.
Our live coverage of Pelosi’s visit is ending. Read the full story here.
Pelosi leaves Taiwan after high-stakes trip
The Speaker of the American House Nancy Pelosi left Taipei’s Songshan airport, concluding a high-interest visit to Taiwan that drew the ire of China.
Pelosi urged continued US “solidarity” with the self-governing island during her two-day trip, the first time a US House speaker has visited Taiwan in 25 years. Read also : China’s homebuyers are running out of patience with the downturn in real estate.
Shortly before departing Wednesday afternoon local time, she tweeted that her delegation “reiterated our strong support for Taiwan’s democracy.”
Pelosi reiterates “ironclad support” for Taiwan’s democracy
Nancy Pelosi has pledged “unwavering support” for Taiwan, as she prepares to leave the island. See the article : China accuses the United States of military outer space.
The US House speaker posted pictures of her meeting with Taiwan’s deputy speaker of the legislature Tsai Chi-chang on her official Twitter account.
“We reiterated our firm support for Taiwan’s democracy, including on issues of security and stability, economic growth and governance,” she wrote.
“We also spoke virtually with the Legislative President of the Yuan You Si-kun and wished him a speedy recovery,” she added, after his positive test for Covid-19.
Lavrov says Pelosi displays US “lawlessness” in Taiwan, as Ukraine’s Zelensky calls on China to oppose Russia
US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan reflects Washington’s desire to “prove its impunity and demonstrate their illegality,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday during a news conference with Myanmar Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin, according to Russian state news agency TASS.
Lavrov linked Pelosi’s visit to the US response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, saying: “I can’t say what their [the Americans’] motivation was but there is no doubt that it reflects the same policy we are talking about in relation to Ukraine. situation.”
“This is a desire to prove to everyone [their] impunity and show their lawlessness.”
Lavrov said he saw no “other reason to create such an irritant literally out of nothing, fully aware of what it means for the People’s Republic of China.”
On Tuesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Russia considered Pelosi’s visit “a clear provocation in the spirit of the aggressive US policy of an all-out effort to contain the PRC [People’s Republic of China].”
The ministry also appealed to Washington “to refrain from actions that undermine regional stability and international security and to recognize the new geopolitical reality in which there is no longer a place for American hegemony.”
Some context: China’s refusal to condemn Russia’s war on Ukraine has fueled speculation about its intentions with Taiwan, and raised questions about how the world might react if it launched an attack.
On Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on China “to join the united world” and oppose Russia, in a virtual address to the Australian National University.
The President discussed China when answering questions from the students. He said that China’s “neutrality” towards Russia’s invasion “is better” than if China were to announce its full support for Russia. But he said he believed that “the nation, the people of China will make the prudent choice.” He went on to say that it is “important that China does not help Russia.”
Taiwan negotiating alternative aviation routes with Japan and Philippines due to Chinese live fire drills
By CNN’s Wayne Chang in Hong Kong
Taiwan is negotiating with neighboring Japan and the Philippines to find alternative aviation routes, after China announced live fire drills around the trade-dependent island, its news agency reported. controlled by the government Wednesday.
China’s military announced late Tuesday that it will launch military exercises across Taiwan in response to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the self-ruled island, along with a series of “operations military aimed at counteracting the situation,” according to statements issued by her. Eastern Theater Command and Ministry of Defence.
Reacting to the move, Taiwan’s defense ministry said the exercises amounted to a “maritime and air blockade,” which threatened international waters.
Taiwan’s Maritime and Port Bureau also issued three notices on Wednesday, asking ships to use alternative routes to seven ports around the island.
Tsai Ing-wen on Pelosi visit: “Democracies stand together”
In a tweet Wednesday afternoon, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen shared photos of her meeting with US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi earlier in the day.
The photos show Tsai and Pelosi waving to reporters and officials in the room, and the moment Tsai bestowed Taiwan’s highest civilian honor on the Speaker.
In Photos: Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan
The Speaker of the US House, Nancy Pelosi, landed in Taipei late Tuesday evening to reporters who crowded the airport and hundreds on the streets — including both supporters and protesters.
Fans clapped and cheered when she arrived, with many saying they saw her visit as a good show of support for Taiwan from the United States. But some critics told CNN that the trip felt like political posturing that only exacerbated cross-strait tensions.
The Taipei 101, an iconic landmark in the city, was lit up with a message welcoming Pelosi as her plane landed. “TW (love) USA,” the message read.
Pelosi echoed the sentiment on Wednesday as she met with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, and reiterated the United States’ commitment to the island in her remarks. “America stands with Taiwan,” she said.
Pelosi also met with Taiwanese lawmakers and Taiwan’s deputy speaker earlier Wednesday morning at the autonomous island’s legislature.
Meanwhile, Beijing attacked Pelosi, with the Chinese military announcing it would begin exercises around Taiwan in response. Late Tuesday night, after Pelosi’s arrival, the Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister called the US Ambassador to China, Nicholas Burns, to protest the visit.
China’s Foreign Minister calls Pelosi’s Taiwan visit “a complete farce”
By CNN’s Wayne Chang in Hong Kong
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi lashed out at US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday, calling her visit to Taiwan a “complete farce” and warning that “those who play by fire they will perish.”
In a statement earlier Wednesday, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticized Pelosi for “blatantly” going ahead with her visit, claiming it “maliciously violates China’s sovereignty and brazenly engages in political provocations.”
“This proves once again that some US politicians have become ‘disruptors’ of China-US relations,” the statement said.
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office also said in a separate statement Wednesday that Beijing will take “criminal punishment measures” for those who are “hard-line” in support of Taiwan’s independence.
Military exercises: Before Pelosi’s visit, China had issued a series of furious warnings, vowing to take “determined and forceful measures” if her trip to the island went ahead.
Following the Speaker’s arrival in Taipei on Tuesday, China’s military said it would begin exercises across Taiwan and launch a series of “military operations aimed at counteracting the situation,” according to statements from the China Eastern Theater Command and the Ministry of Defence.
China suspends some Taiwanese imports and halts export of sand to Taiwan
From CNN’s Beijing bureau and Simone McCarthy, Akanksha Sharma and Wayne Chang in Hong Kong
China has suspended the import of citrus fruits and some fish products from Taiwan and the export of natural sand to the island, Chinese authorities said Wednesday, amid a visit by the Speaker of -US House Nancy Pelosi in Taipei.
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office spokeswoman Ma Xiaoguang said Wednesday that imports of grapefruit, lemons, oranges and other citrus fruits, as well as chilled white striped hairtail and horse mackerel frozen from Taiwan to China had been suspended.
Sand export ban: Meanwhile, China’s Ministry of Commerce also announced Wednesday that it is immediately suspending its export of natural sand to Taiwan, a key component for the production of semi chips – conductors.
In a statement Wednesday after the announcement, Taiwan’s Mining Bureau said China suspending its sand exports would have a “limited” effect and that Taiwan’s domestic demand for sand Chinese accounts for “less than 1%” in recent years.
Some context: Amid growing tensions with Taiwan in recent years, China previously banned imports of some Taiwanese products. Last year, China banned the import of pineapples from the island followed by some types of apples, citing “pest control.” Earlier this year, it also banned Taiwan’s grouper fish, citing the detection of some banned drugs and excessive antibiotics.
Beijing’s recent announcements coincide with Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, the first trip to the autonomous island by a sitting speaker in 25 years, and after Beijing issued dire warnings that it would take countermeasures in retaliation.
