China’s foreign ministry announced sanctions against US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Friday after her visit to Taiwan this week angered Beijing.
The ministry said Pelosi was “seriously interfering in China’s internal affairs and seriously undermining China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity” with the visit, and that Beijing would “impose sanctions on Pelosi and her immediate family.” However, no further details were revealed.
Pelosi is the highest-ranking US official to visit the self-governing island in 25 years. China claims Taiwan, the self-ruled island, as its territory.
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The 82-year-old made a brief and unannounced stop in Taiwan that prompted Beijing to carry out military drills in waters around Taiwan, with five missiles landing in Japan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in retaliation.
China has announced sanctions on a number of US officials in recent years saying that Washington has acted against what it views as its core interests and speaking out on human rights issues in Hong Kong and the northwestern region of Xinjiang.
In March this year, Beijing said it was imposing visa restrictions on an undisclosed list of United States officials. These officials had allegedly “concocted lies on human rights issues involving China,” Beijing claimed.
Former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo, as well as Peter Navarro – a trade adviser to former president Donald Trump – were among those hit by earlier waves of sanctions.
Pelosi’s visit escalated tensions between Taiwan and China with Beijing reacting with threats.
However, Pelosi said Friday that her trip through Asia was never about changing the regional status quo.
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“We have said from the start that our representation here is not about changing the status quo in Taiwan or the region,” she told a news conference after meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
“The Chinese government is not pleased that our friendship with Taiwan is a strong one,” she added, according to Reuters.
“It is bipartisan in the House and in the Senate, overwhelming support for peace and the status quo in Taiwan.”