China announced the end of cooperation with the US on various issues, and imposed sanctions on the Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi In response to her visit to Taiwan, while the Chinese military continued over the weekend the extensive maneuvers around the island with dozens of aircraft and warships. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the suspension of the security dialogue with the US, including the cancellation of the planned talks between the commanders of the arenas, the policy coordination talks and the meetings to implement the agreement designed to ensure collisions at sea and in the air. It was also decided to suspend cooperation in a variety of fields, including the fight against climate change, the fight in cross-border crimes, the fight against drugs and the return of illegal immigrants.
China’s next step was to impose personal sanctions on House Speaker Pelosi and her family members, the most senior American politician to enter the sanctions list. “Pelosi insisted on infiltrating Taiwan, seriously interfered in China’s internal affairs, significantly undermined China’s sovereignty and integrity its territorial integrity, harmed the principle of ‘one China’ and threatened peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait,” it said. The American administration condemned the Chinese decision. “We must not make our cooperation on issues of global concern hostage because of differences of opinion between the two countries,” said Secretary State Anthony Blinken, who added that the cessation of coordination on climate issues “does not punish the US, it punishes the world.”
Over the weekend, China continued its extensive maneuvers around Taiwan with large air and naval forces, while the Ministry of Defense in Taipei accused yesterday that the Chinese were practicing an attack on the island. In Taiwan, they detected dozens of planes and vessels that also crossed the unofficial separation line in the Taiwan Strait, with the navy and air force following them regularly – and even opened warning shots at four Chinese drones that were flying near a nearby group of islands.