Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) holds her weekly news conference with reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., July 14, 2022. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz
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July 23 (Reuters) – China issued stark private warnings to the Biden administration about a possible trip to Taiwan in August by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the Financial Times reported on Saturday.
The report cited six people familiar with China’s warnings as saying they were significantly stronger than threats Beijing has made in the past when it was unhappy with U.S. actions or policies toward China-claimed Taiwan.
The private rhetoric suggests a possible military response, the Financial Times quoted several people familiar with the situation as saying.
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The White House National Security Council and the State Department declined to comment on the report. China’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on Sunday.
China is increasing its military activity around Taiwan, trying to pressure the democratically elected government there to accept Chinese sovereignty. Taiwan’s government says only the island’s 23 million people can decide its future, and while it wants peace, it will defend itself if attacked.
The Financial Times reported Monday that Pelosi plans to visit Taiwan in August.
China’s Foreign Ministry said the next day that her visit to Taiwan would seriously undermine China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the United States would bear the consequences of its response.
On Wednesday, US President Joe Biden said he plans to hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping by the end of the month. Biden appeared to cast doubt on Pelosi’s reported trip to Taiwan.
“I think the military thinks it’s not a good idea right now, but I don’t know what the status is,” Biden told reporters. Read more
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Reporting by Rachna Dhanrajani in Bengaluru; Editing by Grant McCool
Our standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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