UNITED NATIONS: A visit by US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan would undermine China and the United States' relationship, China's United Nations Ambassador Zhang Jun said on Monday (Aug 1).
Pelosi was set to visit Taiwan on Tuesday, three sources said, as the United States said it would not be intimidated by Chinese warnings to never "sit idly by" if she made the trip.
"Such a visit is apparently very much dangerous, very much provocative," Zhang told a news conference to mark the start of China's presidency of the UN Security Council for August. "If such a visit happens it will also undermine the relationship between China and the United States."
He also said that such a visit by Pelosi should not be compared to the last time a US House speaker visited the island claimed by Beijing in 1997.
"An early mistake does not make the following mistake legitimate," Zhang said. "Furthermore the situation in Taiwan is also changing with the support of some external forces."
"Taiwan's tendency towards independence is further developing. If we do not take appropriate, forceful action to stop it … the situation might be even out of control," Zhang told reporters in New York.
Artmotion Asia
