The Foreign Ministry in Beijing has condemned as a "wrong and serious violation of the One China principle" a visit by the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, to Taipei.

An aircraft carrying Nancy Pelosi arrived shortly before 11pm on Tuesday.

In a statement shortly after her arrival, the ministry said the visit also violated three China-US joint communiques, gravely undermined peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and sent a seriously wrong signal to separatist forces on the island.

It said China had made a strong Demarche — a formal protest through diplomatic channels — to the US side. It said the nation had all along opposed the visit by US congress members to Taiwan, and said the executive branch of the US government had a responsibility to stop it.

Describing the Taiwan question as "the most important and most sensitive issue at the very heart of China-US relations" it warned that US moves to increase exchanges with the island were "like playing with fire," adding: "Those who play with fire will perish by it".

The People’s Liberation Army said in a statement that a series of joint military operations commenced around Taiwan on Tuesday evening in response to the Pelosi trip, and to serve as a warning to “Taiwan independence separatists.”

Senior Colonel Shi Yi, spokesperson for the Eastern Theater Command of the PLA said naval-air drills would be carried out in the north, southwest, and southeast of the island, long-range live shooting exercises will be conducted in the Taiwan Strait, while missile tests would be conducted in the east.

The SAR government also released a series of statements condemning Pelosi’s visit.
 
Chief Executive John Lee, said the trip “seriously undermines China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, greatly threatens the peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and gravely violates basic norms governing international relations.”
 
He added that the visit is “tantamount to encouraging 'Taiwan independence' and openly challenges the one-China principle, undermining the stability in the Taiwan Strait. Such a move, betting on and in contempt for the well-being of more than 20 million people in Taiwan, is extremely selfish."

Chief Secretary Eric Chan, Financial Secretary Paul Chan, and Secretary for Justice Paul Lam also issued separate statements condemning Pelosi’s move.

The Chief Secretary said the SAR government do all it can to safeguard China’s nationsl sovereignty and territorial integrity; the finance chief said the visit would have “dire consequences” and “bring greater volatility and instability to financial and asset markets around the world”, while Lam said the visit “constitutes an attempt to obstruct the great reunification of the motherland.”


In Washington, White House national security spokesman John Kirby said Pelosi’s trip did not constitute a violation of America’s longstanding one-China policy.

"What we don't want to see is this spiral into any kind of a crisis or conflict," Kirby told reporters in a press briefing. "There's just no reason to amp this up," he added.

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Last updated: 2022-08-03 HKT 07:15