China warns 'serious measures' over US House Speaker Pelosi's possible visit to Taiwan

China, in a staunch warning to the United States, said it will take 'strong' action if US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi dares to visit Taiwan next month. Reacting to a question based on the report in the Financial Times that claimed a possible visit of the US officials to Taipei City, Chinese spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters at a regular briefing on Monday that Beijing has already prepared for the possible outcome of the tour. "We are seriously prepared," Lijian said when asked for comment about the media report.

When the reporters asked whether the Chinese government would react "militarily" or "diplomatically", the spokesperson said, "If the US side is bent on going its own way, China will take strong measures to resolutely respond and counteract." Further, he said that the Biden administration will be held responsible for any serious consequences. According to the sources of FT, China would punish Taiwan if it allows the landing of Pelosi on its soil. Meanwhile, concerning the possible attack by the Chinese military, Taiwan’s capital staged air raid drills on Monday and its military mobilised for routine defence exercises. 

Watch: Chinese spokesperson briefing media about Pelosi's visit to Taiwan

Taiwan holds drills amid Pelosi visit

Local media reported air raid sirens were sounded in Taipei while the military was seen conducting joint air and sea exercises in the national capital. Besides, police directed people to shelters when a siren went off shortly after lunchtime. Streets emptied and shops closed. "In recent years, Chinese military planes have frequently harassed Taiwan, and the war between Russia and Ukraine broke out in February this year," Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je told reporters, referencing concerns that a similar conflict could break out in East Asia. "All these things make us understand the importance of being vigilant in times of peace and we need to be prepared if there is war," he added. According to the AP news agency, US President Joe Biden could speak to his Chinese counterpart by the end of this month but it was unlikely that POTUS would raise the issue of Pelosi's visit to Taiwan. 

Know more about Taiwan and China's ongoing tension

Taiwan had split from China during the civil war that brought Mao Zedong's Communist Party to power and established the People's Republic of China in 1949. While the Communist Party gained control of the Chinese mainland in 1949, the Kuomintang-ruled government of the erstwhile Republic of China set up its government in Taiwan (officially called the Republic of China). Although the regions have been governed separately for more than seven decades, the Communist Party continues to claim sovereignty over Taiwan. Beijing has, on several occasions, stepped up military exercises around self-ruled Taiwan, which it considers its own territory under the One China policy. While speaking to the Taipei Times in December last year, Taiwan's Minister of National Defence, Chiu Kuo-cheng, said that military tensions with China are at their worst in more than 40 years. It should be mentioned here that tensions between Taipei and Beijing are escalating at an alarming rate.