China: Pelosi Taiwan visit 'very dangerous act of playing with fire'
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China’s Foreign Ministry slams Pelosi's visit to Taiwan and says US and Taiwan separatist forces should bear all consequences of the measures China will take in response.
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China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs
After US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi landed in Taiwan on Tuesday, China’s Foreign Ministry criticized the visit -- which was previously objected to several times by Beijing -- and said it was a "very dangerous act of playing with fire."
"This is a very dangerous act of playing with fire. Whoever plays with fire burns oneself," the foreign ministry stated, adding that China "resolutely opposes and severely condemns the trip," and noting that the United States wants to contain China with Taiwan's help.
US, Taiwan separatists to bear all consequences of China's reactions
The US and Taiwan separatist forces should bear all consequences of the measures China will take in response to Pelosi’s trip to Taipei, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in the statement.
“China will definitely take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity in response to the US Speaker's visit,” the statement said. “All the consequences arising therefrom must be borne by the US side and the ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces.”
The Taiwan issue is the most important and sensitive one in relations between the US and China, and Pelosi's visit to Taipei comes as a continuation of the push to change the status quo, China's Foreign Affairs Ministry said.
“The Taiwan question is the most important and most sensitive issue at the very heart of China-US relations,” the statement said. “The Taiwan Strait is facing a new round of tensions and severe challenges, and the fundamental cause is the repeated moves by the Taiwan authorities and the United States to change the status quo. The Taiwan authorities have kept seeking US support for their independence agenda.”
Some US politicians openly ‘play with fire’ when it comes to Taiwan issue
Some US politicians are openly playing with fire when it comes to the Taiwan issue in pursuit of their own interests, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Tuesday ahead of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan.
"Some politicians in the US are openly playing with fire in regard with the Taiwan issue in pursuit of their own interests," the Minister said in a statement.
The US is violating its obligations to Taiwan, which further undermines confidence in Washington, the minister added.
Read: US Would Defend Taiwan Against China, Says Biden
US House Speaker Pelosi Arrives in Taiwan
A US Air Force plane carrying US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi landed Tuesday in Taiwan's capital, Taipei, at 10:44 p.m. local time (14:44 GMT), according to a live video broadcast from the airport.
The significance of Pelosi's visit is that it comes at a time of great tensions between the US and China over Taiwan, and it would mark the first visit made by a US House Speaker to the Island since 1997.
