China issued multiple warnings in the weeks leading up to Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, which the communist country strongly condemned. Last week, Chinese President Xi Jinping warned US President Joe Biden during a historic two-hour phone call that “those who play with fire will only get burned”, referring to possible US support for the island’s independence. Although the House speaker’s trip to Taiwan lasted less than a day, it drew strong reactions from countries around the world that understood the geopolitical impact of one of America’s highest officials visiting the island and pledging his support for republic of Taiwan remains.” ironclad.” More from NextShark: North Korea’s sea-launched ballistic missile deemed ‘absolutely inexcusable’ by Japan Pelosi reiterated her commitment during her visit to Japan on Thursday, where she said during a press conference at the US Embassy in Tokyo that China “may try to prevent Taiwan from visiting or participating in other places,” but “it will not isolate Taiwan by preventing us from traveling there.” “We will not allow them to isolate Taiwan,” he stressed.
China’s reactions
On Friday, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China issued a statement announcing sanctions against House Speaker Pelosi. More from NextShark: China calls on Sweden to respect Muslim religious beliefs over Koran burning incident “To China’s grave concerns and strong opposition, US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi insisted on visiting China’s Taiwan region,” it said. “This constitutes gross interference in China’s internal affairs. It seriously undermines China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, seriously violates the one-China principle, and seriously threatens peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. In response to Pelosi’s outrageous provocation, China decides to impose sanctions on Pelosi and her family members in accordance with the relevant laws of the People’s Republic of China.” The story continues China has increased its military presence in the region since Pelosi’s visit, sending a record number of planes to the median line that runs through the Taiwan Strait on Friday. “[We] we condemn the communist military for deliberately crossing the middle line of the strait and harassing the sea and air around Taiwan,” Taiwan’s defense ministry said in its latest statement after Beijing deployed 68 Chinese fighter jets and 13 warships to the area the day. More from NextShark: Panic markets sparked as Shanghai residents cordoned off behind metal barriers for ‘hard quarantine’ China also announced that the country would halt dialogue with the US in several areas, including among military commanders at the theater level and on the climate crisis. Despite aggressive rhetoric and military responses from China, Wu’er Kaixi, who was a former student leader during China’s 1989 Tiananmen Square democracy protests, told Reuters in an interview that Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan is a clear victory for the island and that it was not as threatening to relations with China as expected. “Nancy Pelosi came to Taiwan with such a high profile, made sure the whole world saw her, and then made sure the United States military, regional defense force showed up and said we will die protecting our speaker,” Wu explained. More from NextShark: Chinese researchers develop AI that can read minds and determine party allegiances, report reveals “The whole world has watched the United States change. What was China’s response to this? Military exercise; nothing they haven’t done before.” Wu’er added that while the military exercises are on a “more terrifying scale”, they are still just exercises and there is no “imminent military threat”. The 1,000 missiles currently aimed at Taiwan is nothing new, Wu’er concluded, reminding viewers that it has been this way for the past three decades.
Companies are cautious
The former Tiananmen Square protest leader’s views were not shared by all, as other countries and companies took extra precautions to avoid stirring up more drama around the sensitive issue. On Friday, tech giant Apple told its suppliers to strictly adhere to Chinese customs regulations that components from Taiwan be labeled as being made in either “Taiwan, China” or “Chinese Taipei.” In another case, food company Mars Wrigley apologized Friday for its latest Snicker bar ad that listed Taiwan as a country. During a promotion for a limited edition Snickers bar, the video stated that the product was only available in the “countries” of South Korea, Malaysia, and Taiwan. Mars Wrigley issued an apology on its Snickers China Weibo account, saying the related material has been modified: “Mars Wrigley respects China’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity and conducts its business activities in strict compliance with local Chinese laws and regulations.” Some Chinese netizens were unhappy with the apology, however, outraged that the company’s statement did not explicitly claim Taiwan as part of China. “Say it: Taiwan is an integral part of China’s territory!” wrote a user whose comment has received over 8,000 likes.
Possible war?
In response to China’s increasingly aggressive military exercises, Taiwan and its people have also taken action. On August 5, Taiwanese microchip tycoon Robert Chao, 75, pledged $100 million to Taiwan’s defense department after China began an aggressive series of missile exercises the day before. During a press conference, Chao urged Taiwanese people to “see through the evil nature of the Chinese Communist Party,” according to Taiwan News. Chao’s two sons, one of whom recently completed his mandatory military training and the other who will begin training this coming summer break, would both fight in the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) if China invaded Taiwan. Japan is also on high alert after five Chinese ballistic missiles landed in waters near Japan’s southwestern islands on Thursday, the closest of which landed about 80 kilometers northwest of Yonaguni Island, which is in the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone. With about 1,700 residents, the residents of Yonaguni fear their home could be on the front lines of the conflict and become the target of an attack. “During the Vietnam War, boat people came here,” explained Ryuichi Ikema, director of a history museum on the island. “In case of an emergency from Taiwan, millions of Taiwanese could come here. We are the closest island and I wonder: how can we deal with this?” While it is unclear whether tensions between the US, Taiwan and China will rise, the conflict is not isolated between the three and will have long-term implications for the bigger geopolitical picture. Featured image via Guardian News / ABC News
