Beijing Condemns Possible Taipei Trip By Pelosi

The Foreign Ministry on Tuesday condemned a possible visit to Taipei by US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

"The US side will bear the responsibility and pay the price for undermining China's sovereign security interests," spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular press briefing in Beijing.

"Faced with reckless US disregard of China's repeated and serious representations, any countermeasures taken by the Chinese side will be justified and necessary, which is also the right of any independent and sovereign country."

While there have been no official announcements, a number of media outlets in Taiwan reported that Pelosi will arrive on Tuesday night.

The United Daily News, Liberty Times and China Times cited unidentified sources as saying she would arrive in Taipei after visiting Malaysia and spend the night.

In talks with US President Joe Biden last week, President Xi Jinping warned Washington against "playing with fire" over Taiwan.

Asian financial markets fell on Tuesday amid concerns over heightened China-US tensions. (Additional reporting by AP, Reuters)

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