Beijing Refrains From Disclosing What Measures It Would Take if Pelosi Visits Taiwan

BEIJING (Sputnik) - Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying refrained on Tuesday from specifying what measures China would take if US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan.

"What I can tell you is that the US will definitely bear responsibility and pay for the damage caused to China's sovereignty and security interests," the spokeswoman said at a briefing, responding to a reporter's question to clarify what measures China would take if Pelosi visited Taiwan.

On Monday, Taiwanese news portal ETtoday reported that Pelosi, heading the US delegation of up to 20 people, would land between 9:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. local time (13:00 to 14:30 GMT) on Tuesday at Taipei Songshan Airport. Pelosi is expected to visit the Taiwanese parliament, and meet with the island's leadership, including President Tsai Ing-wen.

FILE - Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., talks with reporters ahead of a planned vote in the House that would inscribe the right to use contraceptives into law, a response to the conservative Supreme Court, at the Capitol in Washington on July 21, 2022

© AP Photo / J. Scott Applewhite

Pelosi's Asian tour, which includes Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan, attracted considerable international attention due to her reported plan to visit Taiwan. If she proceeds with her visit, she will become the highest-ranking US politician to visit the island since 1997. Neither Taiwan's Foreign Ministry nor Pelosi herself has confirmed the reports.

China claims sovereignty over the self-governed island and has repeatedly warned that by pursuing the trip Washington would jeopardize US-China bilateral relations. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said on July 28 that in the event of Pelosi's visit, Beijing will take decisive measures to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity.