China says Nancy Pelosi's Taiwan visit 'unhealthy' for democracy & hampers US-China ties

Despite the US House Speaker's departing from Taiwan, the Chinese continue to criticise her visit saying that "Nancy Pelosi’s dangerous provocation is purely for personal political capital, which is an absolute ugly political farce." While addressing a press conference on Wednesday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying, dubbed Pelosi's visit "unhealthy" for "democracy" and added her visit only provoked and violated China's sovereignty and territorial integrity. "What Pelosi has done is definitely not a defence and maintenance of democracy, but a provocation and violation of China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. While Pelosi is the one performing this grandstanding act, it is the China-US relationship and the peace and stability in the region that is taking their toll," Chunying said after her departure. 

According to the spokesperson, the kind of democracy referred to by Pelosi was like nothing but a robe with lice crawling all over it. She maintained it may look opulent from a distance, but couldn’t stand close scrutiny.

She continued to criticise the US over its stand on the Capitol riot, the death of George Floyd, the Robb Elementary School shooting, and America’s over one million COVID-19 deaths. The Chinese official also went on to take a dig over the US pullout from Afghanistan, which led to an unprecedented crisis in the already war-ravaged and debt-ridden country. "We see the hypocrisy and cold-bloodedness of the kind of democracy Pelosi referred to. We see the empty pledge and so-called strength of this type of democracy from what the US military has done in Iraq and Syria and from its retreat from Kabul," Chunying said. 

China terms Pelosi's visit to Taiwan a violation of international norms

Hua Chunying also hit out at the historical inflation rate in the United States and alleged Pelosi had used taxpayer money to fly to Taiwan in order to fulfil her "political stunt". According to the Chinese spokesperson, Pelosi's visit to Taiwan violated international law and basic norms in international relations and accused her of jeopardising other countries' domestic affairs, sovereignty and territorial integrity. "I would also like to remind Pelosi that she is pitting herself against one-fifth of the world’s population and making a provocation to the more than 1.4 billion Chinese people. People will not be fooled. Public opinion cannot be defied. Will Pelosi go down in history with a favourable or foul reputation because of this stunt? I'm sure history will give a fair answer," she said.

Pelosi's visit came despite China's strict warning

It is crucial to note here that the Chinese government had warned Taiwan of a dramatic situation if it allows Pelosi to land on its soil. It has sent 27 aircraft to Taiwan's air defence identification zone (ADIZ) hours after Pelosi's plane left Taipei. Despite the staunch warning of any untoward situation, US Speaker visited the country and left for America on Wednesday.
On the other hand, the US Speaker issued a statement describing her tour as a "strong statement that America stands with Taiwan." She said that visit is part of broader travels in the Indo-Pacific, focused on security, prosperity and governance - on which Taiwan is a global leader. 

Image: Chinese FM/AP