China slams Pelosi's Taiwan visit as dangerous and stupid
Beijing also vows to penalise 'die-hard' supporters of independence
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Elizabeth Law China Correspondent In Beijing, Elizabeth Law
China yesterday continued to voice its anger at US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, calling the move "dangerous and stupid" as it announced new economic measures and other sanctions against the island.
"The United States should not fantasise about distorting facts at will. The US side claimed that China is escalating the situation, but the basic facts are that the US first provoked China on the Taiwan question and blatantly violated China's sovereignty and territorial integrity," said Foreign Minister Wang Yi in a statement released from Phnom Penh, where he was attending the Asean Plus Three Foreign Ministers' Meeting.
"The introduction of the Taiwan question into the regional strategy by the US, which inflates tensions and stokes confrontation, is against the trend of regional development and goes against the expectations of people in the Asia-Pacific," he added. "This is very dangerous and stupid."
Later, speaking on the sidelines of the Asean meeting, Mr Wang said the visit is a "complete farce".
"Under the guise of so-called 'democracy', the United States is violating China's sovereignty," he said. "Those who play with fire will come to no good end, those who infringe on China's rights will definitely be punished."
China sees Taiwan as a breakaway province that needs to be retaken, by force if necessary.
Beijing had summoned US Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns on Tuesday night - when Mrs Pelosi arrived in Taipei - to voice its disapproval of the visit.
China's Ambassador to the US Qin Gang said in a statement that he, too, had lodged a diplomatic protest to the National Security Council and the State Department.
Calling on Washington to immediately address its wrongdoings, Vice-Foreign Minister Xie Feng said the US needs to take practical measures to undo the adverse effects of the visit.
"The move is extremely egregious in nature, and the consequences are extremely serious. China will not sit idly by," Mr Xie told Mr Burns, according to a readout of the meeting from the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
The Taiwan Work Office of China's main party political body vowed legal penalties for what it called "die-hard" supporters of Taiwanese independence.
"We will take criminal punishment measures against those die-hard 'Taiwan independence' elements who deliberately challenge the law, punish them strictly in accordance with the law, and hold them accountable throughout their lifetime," it said in a statement.
Beijing yesterday banned the import of citrus fruit and certain types of fish from Taiwan.
Bans on sand, fruit and fish: How Beijing is punishing Taiwan
NATURAL SAND
China's commerce ministry said exports of natural sand - widely used for construction and in concrete - to Taiwan were suspended from Wednesday.
In March 2007, China halted exports of natural sand to Taiwan due to environmental concerns. The ban lasted for a year. According to Chinese official data, more than 90 per cent of Taiwan's natural sand imports came from China in 2007.
FRUIT AND FISH
China also halted imports of citrus fruit, chilled white striped hairtail and frozen horse mackerel from Taiwan from Wednesday.
China's top food and agricultural imports from Taiwan include seafood, coffee, dairy products, beverages and vinegar.
In January-June, China's biggest agricultural and food import items from Taiwan were fish and other aquatic invertebrates, worth 399 million yuan (S$82 million).
TWO FOUNDATIONS
China vowed to take "disciplinary actions" against two Taiwan foundations which it claimed had aggressively engaged in pro-independence separatist activities.
The Taiwan Foundation for Democracy and Taiwan Foreign Ministry's International Cooperation and Development Fund will be banned from cooperating with any organisations, companies and individuals in the mainland, reported Xinhua on Wednesday.
In addition, any deal or cooperation between four Taiwan companies and mainland firms are not allowed due to their donations to the two foundations.
Executives at the four companies - solar producer Speedtech Energy, Hyweb Technology, medical equipment producer Skyla, and cold chain vehicle fleet management company SkyEyes - will be prohibited from entering mainland China.
REUTERS
On Monday, it barred items from over 100 Taiwanese exporters, citing outdated paperwork - adding to an existing ban on pineapple, sugar apple, grouper fish and wax.
The fruit-growing region in Taiwan's south is traditionally a bastion of support for Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing-wen, who met Mrs Pelosi yesterday before she left Taipei.
China's Commerce Ministry also said it would be banning the export of natural sand to Taiwan.
The island imported 5.67 million tonnes of sand and gravel in 2020, with natural sand constituting about 8 per cent of the total, reported Bloomberg.
About 90 per cent of the imported sand and gravel is from China, due to much higher transportation costs from other countries such as Vietnam.
Taiwan has a deep economic relationship with China, which takes close to 30 per cent of its exports and is its biggest trading partner, the BBC reported.
Meanwhile, the Taiwan Affairs Office of China's Cabinet said it will bar the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy and Taiwan International Cooperation and Development Fund from financially cooperating with Chinese companies and individuals, spokesman Ma Xiaoguang said yesterday.
It also released several strongly worded statements, singling out Ms Tsai and Mrs Pelosi, saying their "provocations" will push Taiwan into an "abyss of disaster".
