China ends working with US on multiple issues; Sanctions Pelosi

China on Friday said it was cancelling several defence meetings and suspending key climate talks with the United States after a visit by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan this week.

Beijing will “suspend the China-US climate change talks” and nix plans for a call between military leaders as well as two security meetings, the foreign ministry said, citing Pelosi’s “disregard of China’s strong opposition and stern representations” on the Taiwan visit.

China and the United States — the world’s two largest carbon emitters — unveiled a surprise climate pact at the COP26 summit in Glasgow last year.

They pledged to work together to accelerate climate action this decade, and vowed to meet regularly to “address the climate crisis”.

China views self-ruled, democratic Taiwan as part of its territory and has vowed to one day take it, by force if necessary.

Beijing reacted with bombastic threats and military drills in the lead-up to and aftermath of Pelosi’s visit, which it sees as an unacceptable escalation of ties between Washington and Taiwan’s current pro-independence leaders.

The foreign ministry said Friday it was suspending cooperation with Washington on repatriating illegal migrants, judicial assistance and transnational crime, as well as anti-drug action.

It said earlier that it would impose unspecified sanctions on Pelosi and her family.

China sanctions Pelosi over Taiwan visit: foreign ministry
Beijing (AFP) Aug 5, 2022 –
China’s foreign ministry announced sanctions against US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Friday, after her visit to Taiwan this week prompted fury and shows of military force from Beijing.

The ministry said Pelosi was “seriously interfering in China’s internal affairs and seriously undermining China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity” with the visit, and that Beijing would “impose sanctions on Pelosi and her immediate family”, without giving further details.

China has announced sanctions on a number of US officials in recent years for acting against what it views as its core interests and speaking out on human rights issues in Hong Kong and the northwestern region of Xinjiang, often without specifying punitive measures.

In March this year Beijing said it was imposing visa restrictions on an undisclosed list of United States officials who had allegedly “concocted lies on human rights issues involving China”.

Former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo, as well as Peter Navarro — a trade adviser to former president Donald Trump — were among those hit by earlier waves of sanctions and are forbidden from entering China as well as doing business with Chinese entities.

Beijing’s ruling Communist Party views self-ruled, democratic Taiwan as part of its territory and has vowed to one day take it, by force if necessary.

The Chinese government has reacted with bombastic threats and military drills in the lead-up to and aftermath of Pelosi’s visit, which it sees as an unacceptable escalation of ties between Washington and Taiwan’s current pro-independence leaders.

Strategic ambiguity? The US, Taiwan and China — a guide
Taipei (AFP) Aug 5, 2022 –
US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan has provoked Beijing’s ire — and brought into focus Washington’s deliberately ambiguous foreign policy stance toward the democratic, self-ruled island.

Pelosi’s pledge Friday that the United States will “not allow” China to isolate Taiwan comes just months after President Joe Biden repeatedly said US forces would defend the island militarily if China attempted to take control of it.

Biden’s team have nsisted that Washington’s decades-old approach remained unchanged.

Here is a recap of that foreign policy stance and why relations between the United States, China and Taiwan are so delicate:

– Bitter history –

The deep rift between Beijing and Taiwan dates back to China’s civil war, which erupted in 1927 and pitted forces aligned with the Communist Party of China against the Nationalist Kuomintang (KMT) army.

Eventually defeated by Mao Zedong’s communists, KMT chief Chiang Kai-shek fled to Taiwan, which was still under his control.

From there, Chiang continued to claim the entirety of China — just as the mainland claimed Taiwan as part of its territory to be re-taken one day, by force if necessary.

For years, both sides still formally claimed to represent all of China, and Taiwan’s official name remains the Republic of China, while the mainland is the People’s Republic of China

Since the late 1990s, Taiwan has transformed from an autocracy into a vibrant democracy and a distinct Taiwanese identity has emerged.

The current ruling party, led by President Tsai Ing-wen, has pledged to defend Taiwan’s sovereignty.

– Strategic ambiguity –

Washington cut formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan in 1979, switching recognition to Beijing as the sole representative of China, with the mainland becoming a major trading partner.

But at the same time, the United States maintained a decisive, if at times delicate, role in supporting Taiwan.

Under a law passed by Congress, the United States is required to sell Taiwan military supplies to ensure its self-defence against Beijing’s vastly larger armed forces.

But it has maintained “strategic ambiguity” on whether it would actually intervene militarily, a policy designed both to ward off a Chinese invasion and discourage Taiwan from ever formally declaring independence.

There is now growing bipartisan discussion in Washington over whether a switch to “strategic clarity” is preferable given Beijing’s increasingly bellicose approach to cross-strait relations.

Beijing has become much more assertive towards Taiwan under President Xi Jinping and the last two years in particular have seen a surge in incursions into Taiwan’s air defence identification zone by Chinese military aircraft.

And Russia’s war on Ukraine has heightened fears that China might one day follow through on threats to annex its smaller neighbour.

On Friday, China encircled the island with a series of huge military drills, prompting rebuke from Taipei, the United States and other democracies.

Yet analysts broadly agree that despite all its aggressive posturing, Beijing does not want an active military conflict against the United States and its allies over Taiwan — just yet.

-‘One China’ policy –

US policy on Taiwan has always hinged on diplomatic nuance.

In what is termed the “One China policy”, Washington recognises Beijing, but only acknowledges the Chinese position that Taiwan is part of China.

It leaves it to the two sides to work out a solution, while opposing any use of force to change the status quo.

In practice, Taiwan enjoys many of the trappings of a full diplomatic relations with the United States.

While there is no US embassy in Taipei, Washington runs a centre called the American Institute in Taiwan.

In the United States, the island’s diplomats enjoy the status of other nations’ personnel.

Only 13 nations, all in the developing world, and the Vatican still recognise Taiwan.

Beijing has tried hard to stop any international recognition of the island.

It baulks at any use of the word Taiwan, such as when Lithuania allowed Taipei to open a de facto embassy under its own name last year, lest it might lend the island a sense of legitimacy on the global stage.

The United States and a growing number of countries have pushed for Taiwan to be included in UN bodies, such as the World Health Organization.

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Sri Lanka brushes aside Indian concerns on Chinese ship

Colombo (AFP) Aug 2, 2022


Sri Lanka on Tuesday brushed aside Indian concerns over a scheduled visit by a Chinese ship, saying it was coming only to refuel and replenish supplies.

The research and survey ship Yuan Wang 5 is due to dock in the Chinese-run Hambantota Port in southern Sri Lanka on August 11, according to analytics website MarineTraffic.

Indian media reports said that New Delhi was worried the vessel would be used to spy on its activities and that it had lodged a complaint with Colombo.

It is a dual-use s … read more