China Warns Its Military 'Will Not Sit Idly By' As Reports Say Nancy Pelosi To Visit Taiwan En Route To South Korea

Media reports from Taiwan and China say the U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is poised to visit Taiwan en route to South Korea.

What Happened: Pelosi began a fraught tour of Asia in Singapore on Monday. Her office on Sunday announced that she plans to visit Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, and Japan during her trip, without mentioning Taiwan — which has been a reason for major tensions between the U.S. and China in recent days.

Taiwanese TVBS News foreign affairs and military reporter Tingting Liu in a tweet on Monday said her sources indicated that Pelosi would be arriving in Taipei "tomorrow night."

From my sources, @SpeakerPelosi is arriving in Taipei tomorrow night.

— Tingting Liu 劉亭廷 (@tingtingliuTVBS) August 1, 2022

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This came hours after Hu Xijin, the former editor-in-chief and party secretary of the Global Times, a state-owned media, in a tweet, said, "Pelosi is in Singapore and will fly to South Korea, en route Taiwan, after visiting Malaysia. The PLA has clearly been well prepared. If she dares to stop in Taiwan, it will be the moment to ignite the powder keg of the situation in the Taiwan Straits."

Pelosi is in Singapore and will fly to South Korea, en route Taiwan, after visiting Malaysia. The PLA has clearly been well prepared. If she dares to stop in Taiwan, it will be the moment to ignite the powder keg of the situation in the Taiwan Straits. pic.twitter.com/EVxyD87c11

— Hu Xijin 胡锡进 (@HuXijin_GT) August 1, 2022

Meanwhile, China on Monday again reiterated its stern warnings against Pelosi's potential visit to Taiwan. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said that its military will "not sit idly by" if she visits Taiwan, Reuters reported.

He added that because of Pelosi's status as the "No. 3 official of the U.S. government," a visit to the island nation where China claims sovereignty would "lead to egregious political impact."

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