MANILA, Philippines — Suspending cooperation with the US and banning imports from Taiwan are "legitimate self-defense" responses to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei last week, the Chinese Embassy said Sunday.
Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian said that Beijing clearly warned Washington of serious consequences should Pelosi push through with visiting the self-governing island, which Beijing believes violates the "One-China policy" as it views Taiwan as part of its territory.
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Pelosi, who has publicly supported Taiwan, said in her visit that the US "will not allow" China to isolate Taiwan.
"The Chinese government has every right to do whatever [is] necessary and justified to resolutely uphold our sovereignty and territorial integrity," Huang said in a statement.
This is in response to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s statements during his quick stop to Manila o Saturday, where he said that the "change of status quo" in Taiwan Strait’s peace and stability is actually on China and not on the US.
Beijing said blame should go to the US and the "Taiwan independence" forces that Washington supposedly "condones."
The Philippines has called on both parties to keep their lines of communication open to reduce tensions and prevent them from further escalating.
Since Pelosi’s visit, China has banned the importation of some agricultural and fish products from Taiwan and also launched nearly a dozen ballistic missiles as part of military exercises around the island.
Blinken noted on Saturday that Beijing also suspended its talks with the US on climate change.
"The world’s largest carbon emitter is now refusing to engage in combatting the climate crisis,” Washington’s chief foreign affairs adviser said. “Suspending climate cooperation doesn't punish the United States, it punishes the world – particularly, the developing world."
China also canceled and suspended seven other discussions with the US, including its theater commanders’ talk, defense policy coordination, military maritime consultative agreement meetings, cooperation on the repatriation of illegal immigrants, and counternarcotics cooperation, among others.— with reports from Agence France-Presse