State media threatens ‘unbearable consequences’ for Taiwan if Speaker visits – as US government Boeing C-40C carrying her departs San Francisco for Asia
- Hu Xijin, a commentator with the Chinese state-affiliated Global Times, threatened Taiwan if House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visits the nation
- Xijin said the island nation would face ‘unbearable consequences’ and ‘severe punishment actions’ as he posted an image of Pelosi’s flight data
- It comes a day after he tweeted that China was prepared to shoot down her plane and any military escorts if they approach Taiwan
- On Saturday morning, the Chinese military conducted live-fire exercises off its coast opposite Taiwan
The Chinese state media threatened ‘unbearable consequences’ on Taiwan if US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visits the nation as her plane departed for Asia on Saturday.
‘If Pelosi really visits Taiwan as planned, the Tsai Ing-wen authorities are accomplice[s],’ Hu Xijin, a commentator with the Chinese state-affiliated Global Times, wrote on Twitter, referencing the Taiwanese government.
‘The mainland will definitely carry out severe punishment actions on Taiwan at the same time. The unbearable consequences will fall on Tsai authorities.’
Along with the warning, Xijin posted an image tracking the flight of the Boeing C-40C plane carrying the Speaker of the House as she departed San Francisco.
The latest warning comes as the Chinese military conducted live-fire exercises Saturday morning off its coast opposite Taiwan after Xijin claimed China may shoot Pelosi’s plane down.
The People’s Liberation Army conducted the ‘live-fire exercises’ near the Pingtan islands off the Fujian province, the official Xinhua News Agency announced. The Maritime Safety Administration warned ships to avoid the area.
Such exercises usually involve artillery. The one-sentence announcement gave no indication whether Saturday’s exercise also might include missiles, fighter planes or other weapons.
Two other vessels – identified by Vietnam-based maritime observer Duan Dang as a Chinese Type 052D destroyer and a Type 054A frigate – were seen 27km and 23km away from the Taiwan Strait. Both are armed with surface-to-air missiles.
Meanwhile, the Chinese navy was conducting military exercises off its southern coast near Guangdong, following exercises in nearby Hainan province.
It is all seen as a show of force to dissuade Pelosi from visiting the island.
Beijing has reacted furiously to the prospective visit of the third-ranking official in the US government to Taiwan. Chinese leader Xi Jinping warned President Joe Biden on Thursday that ‘those who play with fire will perish by it.’
‘It is hoped that the US will be clear-eyed about this.’
Xijin’s latest warning to the US comes a day after Twitter temporarily suspended his account after suggesting China would shoot down Pelosi’s plane and its military escort.
‘If US fighter jets escort Pelosi’s plane into Taiwan, it is an invasion. The PLA has the right to forcibly dispel Pelosi’s plane and the US fighter jets, including firing warning shots and making tactical movements of obstruction. If ineffective, then shoot them down,’ Xijin, had written in a now-deleted tweet.
The speaker has not confirmed whether she will visit the island democracy during an Asian tour that includes stops in Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and Singapore.
In response to a question about the potential Taiwan trip on Friday, Pelosi only said: ‘I don’t talk about my travel because it’s a security issue.’
As the leader of the co-equal legislative branch of the US government, Biden has no authority to order her to abandon the visit.
Biden said last week the Pentagon thought a Taiwan trip was ‘not a good idea.’