China to sanction US House speaker Pelosi over Taiwan trip

ISTANBUL (AA) – Continuing with its “countermeasures” against the US House speaker’s trip to Taiwan earlier in the week, China has announced that it has decided to implement sanctions on Nancy Pelosi and her family.

“Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi insisted on visiting China’s Taiwan region. This constitutes a gross interference in China’s internal affairs,” said the Chinese Foreign Ministry in a statement.

“It gravely undermines China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, seriously tramples on the one-China principle, and severely threatens peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” the statement said, calling Pelosi’s visit an “egregious provocation.”

“China decides to adopt sanctions on Pelosi and her immediate family members in accordance with relevant laws of the People’s Republic of China,” it added.

Beijing has launched massive military exercises surrounding Taiwan after Pelosi visited the self-ruled island earlier this week, against the warnings of China which sees it as its “breakaway province.”

China had warned of serious “countermeasures” against undertaking such a trip, including military action.

Pelosi is the first sitting US House speaker who visited Taiwan in the past 25 years.

She is leading a delegation of US lawmakers that began their trip from Singapore on Monday, followed by Malaysia from where she traveled to Taiwan, triggering angry response from Beijing.

She left Taiwan on Wednesday evening for South Korea and finally landed in Tokyo on Thursday night.