Pelosi Taiwan visit – live: Russia says speaker’s trip was ‘deliberate attempt’ to provoke China

The G7 foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and the High Representative of the European Union released a joint statement on Wednesday in response to China’s recently announced threats following US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.

The group of foreign ministers specifically cited the PRC’s scheduling of “live-fire exercises and economic coercion” as risking “unnecessary escalation” in the Taiwan Strait, adding that “there is no justification to use a visit as pretext for aggressive military activity”.

“It is normal and routine for legislators from our countries to travel internationally. The PRC’s escalatory response risks increasing tensions and destabilizing the region,” the group wrote.

“We call on the PRC not to unilaterally change the status quo by force in the region, and to resolve cross-Strait differences by peaceful means. There is no change in the respective one China policies, where applicable, and basic positions on Taiwan of the G7 members.”

The group also called on all involved parties to “exercise restraint” and keep an open line of communication in order to prevent any misunderstandings.

Read the full statement here.

China’s Foreign Ministry slammed Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan on Wednesday, labelling it a “provocation” and “infringement” of China’s sovereignty.

“The kind of democracy referred to by Pelosi is like nothing but a robe with lice crawling all over it. It may look opulent from a distance, but not really so when you look at it close up,” said Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying in a video released on the ministry’s main Twitter account Wednesday.

“Her dangerous provocation is only about fishing for political capital and in this ugly stunt, democracy has been reduced by the United States to a tool and a pretext. It is Speaker Pelosi who is playing to the gallery but it is the China-US relationship and the peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait that are suffering,” the spokesperson added.

The foreign ministry went on to cite recent incidents in the US — the death of George Floyd, the 1m deaths from Covid-19, and the Uvalde mass shooting at Robb Elementary School that left 19 students and two teachers dead — as so-called proof of “the hypocrisy and cold-bloodedness of democracy”.

Taiwan’s defence ministry tweeted on Wednesday shortly after Nancy Pelosi’s plane headed for Seoul, where she’s expected to arrive late in the day, took off stating that 27 Chinese PLA aircrafts arrived in the area.

The Ministry of National Defense tweeted in the evening on Wednesday Taiwan time that 27 aircrafts, which included models J-11*6, J-16*5 and SU-30*16, were detected flying over the self-governing island’s air defence zone on 3 August.

Lauding US speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong (CFHK) has said the trip symbolises a tougher stance against China.

The international advocacy group, set up last year amid the crackdown on Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement, said in a statement to The Independent that it fully supports Ms Pelosi’s decision to visit Taiwan and applauded her courage in facing such threats, adding that China must bear the consequences of any escalation of tension.

“The Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong supports the visit to Taiwan, and the rest of Asia, by Speaker Pelosi and strongly welcomes the support from Republican senators willing to stand up against the threats by China,” it said.

“This visit is more than just about Taiwan. It also shows continued US support for the people of Tibet, Xinjiang and Hong Kong. Such support is vital as we need the US to take a tougher stance against China and its increasingly belligerent behaviour at home and abroad.”

Germany is striving for a de-escalation in the Taiwan Strait with international partners, said a German foreign ministry spokesperson, who added that military threats were unacceptable.

Germany retains close relations with Taiwan, which is an important partner, said the spokesperson at a regular government news conference in the evening.

Germany’s government supports a clear “One China” policy like the United States, added a government spokesperson.

After Russia and North Korea, Pakistan has put its weight behind China’s stance over Nancy Pelosi’s visit, warning that the move will have “serious implications for regional peace and stability”.

Affirming that it supported “China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”, Islamabad said the world cannot afford another crisis.

“Pakistan is deeply concerned over the evolving situation in the Taiwan Strait, which has serious implications for regional peace and stability,” the country said in a statement.

“The world is already reeling through a critical security situation due to the Ukraine conflict, with destabilising implications for international food and energy security. The world cannot afford another crisis that has negative consequences for global peace, security and economy.”

China has significant investments in Pakistan and Islamabad has been an all-weather ally for Beijing in recent years.

Foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) have expressed concerns over rising tensions concerning Taiwan, an official from chair country Cambodia just said ahead of the regional talks today.

Asean hopes all sides will try their best to de-escalate tensions on Taiwan and avoid actions that contribute to an escalation, Kung Phoak, secretary of state of Cambodia’s foreign ministry, told a news conference.

The 10-member bloc is split between countries with close ties to China, such as Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos, and others that are warier of Beijing and its growing international assertiveness.

Transport officials in Taiwan believe flights will remain largely unaffected with Chinese fire drills but travel time may increase slightly.

The Reuters news agency reports that Taiwan’s transport department is expecting a “minimal” increase in flight time for international destinations as planes might have to take alternate routes, but it says domestic flights will not be impacted.

The country is also hoping more routes will open up for international flights.