China announced this Friday (05) eight measures in protest at the trip of the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, to Taiwan, including the suspension of bilateral cooperation. in several areas.
The Chinese suspended cooperation on repatriation of illegal immigrants, criminal judicial assistance, drug control, combating transnational crime and talks on the two countries’ fight against change
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs also informed the cancellation of telephone calls between the leaders of the military commands and of the working meetings between the Defense portfolios of the two powers and those of the Consultation Mechanism of Military Maritime Security.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry also announced sanctions against Pelosi and her next of kin for “disregarding China’s concern and strong opposition” to her trip to Taiwan and for “undermining the sovereignty and territorial integrity rial” from the Asian country.
The ministry did not give specific details about the sanctions, but accused Pelosi, who visited Taiwan last Wednesday (03), despite Beijing’s protests, of “interfering in China’s internal affairs” and “threatening peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait”.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said this Friday (05) that China’s military exercises against Taiwan, including missiles fired at Japan’s exclusive economic zone, represent a “significant escalation” and that he urged Beijing to back off.
Blinken also highlighted that Pelosi’s visit was peaceful and did not represent a change in US policy towards Taiwan, accusing China of using it as a “pretext to increase provocation of military activity within and outside the country.” around the Taiwan Strait.”
Last week, when Pelosi’s visit was just a possibility raised by the American press, the presidents of Ch Ina and USA, Xi Jinping and Joe Biden, had a phone conversation in which the Chinese leader asked the American not to “play with fire” in Taiwan.
In the last 48 hours, China, which called Pelosi’s trip a “sham” and a “deplorable betrayal”, responded with large-scale military exercises in the Taiwan Strait and economic sanctions against some products from the island.
The military maneuvers, which included live fire and the launch of long-range missiles, were described on Friday by Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen as “an irresponsible act.”
The China claims sovereignty over Taiwan and considers it a rebel province since the nationalist Kuomintang party, which was in power in Beijing, settled on the island in 1949, after losing the civil war against the communists.
Taiwan is also a major point of contention between China and the United States, especially as Washington is the island’s main arms supplier. ha and would be its biggest military ally in case of war with Beijing.
