China issued a warning Wednesday that the US would face "serious consequences" if House Speaker Nancy Pelosi goes through with her planned visit to Taiwan.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and President Joe Biden are expected to speak this week, and Pelosi's visit could become a significant topic of conversation between them.
US-China relations have suffered in recent years over concerns regarding human rights abuses in China as well as intellectual property theft against Western nations and corporations.
Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan would be the first visit of a US Speaker of the House since 1997, when Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich visited Taiwan under the Clinton Administration.
On July 19th, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian said, “The one-China principle is the political foundation of China-US relations and an established international consensus. China firmly opposes the attempt by any force or individual to play the “Taiwan card”, interfere in China’s internal affairs, and undermine China’s core interests."
The Biden Administration has been reportedly working behind the scenes to dissuade Pelosi from visiting Taiwan.
China has considered the island nation of Taiwan to be part of its sovereign territory even though Taiwan has been ruled by its own government since the Communist Party took over mainland China in 1949.
Following the establishment of diplomatic relations with China in the 1970s, the US has been careful to only recognize China instead of Taiwan and has maintained ambiguity on whether it would defend Taiwan if China invaded.
China has recently acted in a more aggressive manner towards Taiwan, stoking fears it may be planning to invade the island nation. These fears have been exacerbated by the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan following the US withdrawal from the nation last year and Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February of this year.
The US State Department last week approved the sale of $108 million in weapons to Taiwan, China has urged the US to cancel the deal.
Currently, Taiwan has bipartisan support in Washington and Pelosi has a history of being a critic of China’s human rights violations.
Premier Su Tseng-Chang of Taiwan said he welcomes any foreign dignitary from other countries who support Taiwan and is happy for Speaker Pelosi’s many years of support.