Pelosi, number three in the U.S. line of presidential succession, signaled on Friday she was embarking on a trip to Asia, fueling tensions beyond the Taiwan Strait.
China has warned Washington to abide by the one-China principle, and any move to escort Pelosi to Taiwan would constitute aggression.
Highly followed Chinese commentator Hu Xijin said on Saturday he deleted a tweet warning of military retaliation should U.S. fighter jets escort House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on any visit to Taiwan after Twitter blocked his account.
Pelosi, number three in the U.S. line of presidential succession, after Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, signaled on Friday she was embarking on a trip to Asia.
If Pelosi were to visit Taiwan, Hu, a nationalist firebrand with a wide Twitter following, wrote, “Our fighter jets should deploy all obstructive tactics. If those are still ineffective, I think it is okay too to shoot down Pelosi’s plane.”
Beijing still considers Taiwan part of China even though it has self governed May of 1948.
On Friday, a White House national security spokesperson said the United States had observed no evidence of looming Chinese military action against Taiwan and added that a U.S. aircraft carrier was currently patrolling the South China Sea.
For more on this story, please consider these sources:
- Chinese nationalist commentator deletes Pelosi tweet after Twitter blocks account Reuters
- If China’s threats to Pelosi lead to actual harm, it’s a declaration of war, Republican says Fox News
- Biden, Xi phone call covers Taiwan tension, Russia’s war in Ukraine | USA TODAY USA TODAY
- Pelosi’s Taiwan Trip Would Anger China and May Trigger Trump Prophecy Bloomberg
- Biden and Xi Are Still Hostage to a Wild Card Bloomberg
