US Speaker Nancy Pelosi has left Taiwan after a brief but controversial visit.
Ms Pelosi, the most elderly US politician to visit 25 times- departed on Wednesday after meeting leaders in the capital Taipei.
But her visit, as part of a wider Asian stint, sparked fury in Beijing after she ignored its warnings not to travel to the islet.
Taiwan is tone- ruled- but China sees it as a breakaway fiefdom that will ultimately unite with it.
Criminating the US of” violating China’s sovereignty under the guise of so- called republic”, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said,” Those who play with fire won’t come to a good end and those who offend China will be penalised.”
In a statement following the visit, Ms Pelosi said China cannot” help world leaders or anyone from travelling to Taiwan to pay respect to its flourishing republic, to punctuate its numerous successes and to reaffirm our commitment to continued collaboration”.
The elderly US Democrat’s visit wasn’t approved by her party coworker, President Joe Biden, who had said the American military felt it was” not a good idea right now” amid heightened pressures between the two countries.
The US walks a political tightrope with its Taiwan policy. On the one hand, it abides by the” One China” policy, which recognizes only one Chinese government, giving it formal ties with Beijing and not Taiwan.
On the other, it maintains a” robust unofficial” relationship with the islet, which includes dealing munitions for Taiwan to defend itself.
As speaker of the US House of Representatives, Ms Pelosi is alternate in line to the US administration, behind Vice-President Kamala Harris.
In response to the trip, China blazed what it called” necessary and just” military drills in swell around 10 long hauls (16 km) from Taiwan.
The exercises which will begin on Thursday and last for five days- will take place in some of the world’s busiest aqueducts and will include” long- range live security firing”.
China’s defence ministry has admitted that some exercises may transgress Taiwan’s territorial waters. In recent days, Chinese warplanes ventured as far as the median line, the unofficial peak separating China and Taiwan in the waters between them.
Taiwan has asked vessels to find indispensable routes to avoid the drills and is negotiating with neighbouring Japan and the Philippines to find indispensable aeronautics routes.
President Tsai Ing– wen said the country was facing” designedly heightened military pitfalls”.
In an effort to calm the situation, the foreign ministers from the G7 nations Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and US- released a common statement saying China’s escalation risked destabilising the region.
” There’s no defence to use a visit as rationale for aggressive military exertion in the Taiwan Strait. It’s normal and routine for lawmakers from our countries to travel internationally,” the statement said.
Analysis by Rupert Wingfield- Hayes, BBC News, Taipei
There’s a full- on Pelosi lovefest passing in Taiwan’s capital, Taipei.
You can see it in the agitated way Nancy Pelosi’s appearance Then’s being reported on Taiwan’s numerous television news channels.
They’ve been studying everything from the colour of her outfits to the height of her heels, (veritably high for an 82- time-old supposedly) and the fact that she” looked like Audrey Hepburn in that print of her with President JohnF. Kennedy back in 1961″.
Crowds gathered beforehand outside Taiwan’s congress on Wednesday, hoping to get a regard for Ms Pelosi as she came out.
Nearly everyone there brushed off worries that China might avenge.
“China is pretending,” said a 70-year-old man.” It may avenge in the short term, but if Beijingover-reacts, it’ll be penalised by the United States.”
