China suspends climate change cooperation with US and sanctions Nancy Pelosi in retaliation for Taiwan visit
- The House Speaker is the most senior US politician to be sanctioned by China as it widened its response to what it sees as a serious breach of its sovereignty
- China is also halting dialogue with the US military, a move that raises the risk of accidental conflict, and continuing drills around the coast of Taiwan
Regular dialogues between the world’s two most powerful armed forces have also been cancelled, making it harder for them to prevent accidental conflicts. Beijing also said it would stop cooperating in tackling the drugs trade, fighting crime and repatriating illegal immigrants.
The unannounced visit provoked a furious reaction from Beijing, which sees the island as part of its own territory and had issued repeated warnings against making a trip it regarded as a serious violation of its sovereignty.
Both the White House and Pelosi have said there was no intent to change the status quo in the Taiwan Strait. The US acknowledges the one-China principle, which holds that Taiwan is part of China, but opposes any attempt to take the island by force.
Beijing, however, believes the trip was intended to embolden the pro-independence movement in Taiwan.
Shi Yinhong, an international relations professor at Renmin University, called the latest measures “unprecedentedly severe” and said China-US relations have now sunk to rock bottom.
“The sanctions against Pelosi show how angry Beijing is,” he said.