China to cancel military, climate talks with US
China also said, it will take more counter-measures over Pelosi's visit to Taiwan
PremiumFollowing US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan on August 2, the China government on Friday threatened to halt cooperation with the US. The foreign ministry asserted that it will cancel military and climate talks with the US, as well as anti-drug cooperation, cooperation on cross-border crime prevention and on repatriating illegal migrants, among eight specific measures.
The eight measures, unveiled in a statement on Friday, include:
- Halting climate talks
- Canceling dialogue with military leaders
- Canceling working meeting with US Defense Department
- Canceling meetings with the US over maritime safety
- Halting cooperation on fighting crime
- Halting working meetings on repatriating illegal immigrants
- Halting judicial cooperation
- Halting cooperation on combatting drugs
Beijing on Friday announced unspecified sanctions on Pelosi and her immediate family over her visit claiming that she disregarded China’s concerns and resolute opposition to her visit to the self-ruled island, news agency AFP reported.
Chinese Foreign Ministry statement called Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan provocative and said it undermines China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, adding that “sanctions would be imposed on Pelosi and her immediate family but did not say what they would be. Such sanctions are generally mostly symbolic in nature." Although largely symbolic, the move makes the House speaker the highest-ranking American official sanctioned by Beijing. The action was announced shortly after Pelosi left Japan after wrapping up her dramatic weeklong trip.
Meanwhile, it is important to note here that China sent warships across the Taiwan Strait’s dividing line on Friday, Taiwan said, continuing its most provocative drills in decades a day after likely firing missiles over the island of 23 million people.
Taiwanese Defense Ministry claimed that several groups of warships had crossed the median line as of 11 a.m. Friday. The ministry also said, The People’s Liberation Army also sent warplanes across the US-defined boundary for the third straight day of such flights since US House speaker Nancy Pelosi’s arrival.
On Thursday, Beijing broke another precedent by firing four ballistic missiles over Taiwan and into what Japan considers its exclusive economic zone, according to the Japanese Defense Ministry.
(With inputs from agencies)
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