China on Tuesday launched a volley of trade curbs against Taiwan in addition to missile tests and live-fire military drills as US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the island despite Beijing’s warnings.

China has reportedly said that Taiwan belongs to its territory and tries to keep it isolated internationally. China has also opposed countries from maintaining official contacts with the self-ruled democratic island.

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After Pelosi became the highest-profile elected US official to visit Taiwan in 25 years, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying on Wednesday said the response will be “resolute, forceful and effective”.

Here are the measures that China announced so far:

The first response was announced swiftly. Missile tests and live-fire military drills in zones encircling Taiwan were announced, within just 20 kilometres (12 miles) of the island’s shore.

Also read: 21 Chinese military planes enter Taiwan’s airspace ahead of Pelosi’s visit

The drills will include “long-range live ammunition shooting” in the Taiwan Strait, which separates the island from mainland China and straddles vital shipping lanes.

Meanwhile, Taiwan’s defence ministry described the “military operations” as “an irrational move to challenge the international order”. 

Also read: China to conduct missile, military drills around Taiwan after Nancy Pelosi’s visit

China’s Mainland Affairs Council, which sets the government’s China policies, accused Beijing of “vicious intimidation”.

According to analysts, Beijing cannot afford to be seen as toothless after ramping up the rhetoric ahead of the US House Speaker’s arrival.

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“It will be imperative for the Chinese regime to underline its nationalist credentials to its domestic audience,” said James Char, an associate research fellow at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.

On Wednesday, China also imposed curbs on the import of fruit and fish from Taiwan.

Also read: Ahead of Nancy Pelosi’s visit, China bans 35 Taiwan food exporters as warning

Its customs authorities said it would suspend some citrus fruit imports over alleged “repeated” detection of excessive pesticide residue.

It also banned the import of certain fish from the island, pointing to the discovery of the coronavirus on packages.

These bans came a day after Taipei’s Council of Agriculture said China had cited regulatory breaches in suspending the import of Taiwanese goods including fishery products, tea and honey.

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It is not the first time Beijing has aimed at Taiwan’s agricultural products — it banned pineapple imports in March 2021, citing the discovery of pests. However, the move was widely seen as politically driven.

Beijing has ramped up pressure on Taiwan since President Tsai Ing-wen took office in 2016, as she views the island as a de facto sovereign nation and not part of “one China”.