By Enyichukwu Enemanna
China on Friday said it’s putting on hold cooperation with the United States in a number of areas, including dialogue between senior-level military commanders and climate talks, in retaliation for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.
China’s foreign ministry also said that it was also suspending cooperation with Washington on prevention of cross-border crime and drug trafficking, and on repatriating illegal migrants, among eight specific measures.
In a statement released soon after Pelosi left Japan on the final leg of her Asian tour, China also cancelled a planned bilateral meeting on a maritime military security mechanism.
Beijing separately announced that it would personally sanction Pelosi and her immediate family in response to her “vicious” and “provocative” actions.
Pelosi’s brief visit this week to self-ruled Taiwan, which China claims as its own, infuriated Beijing and triggered Chinese military drills on an unprecedented scale in the seas and air around the island.
US President Joe Biden and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping earlier held “candid” phone talks, with Xi warning the US leader not to “play with fire” on Taiwan, according to Chinese state media.
The virtual summit lasting over two hours took place as Beijing and Washington increasingly risk open conflict over the self-ruling island, which China considers part of its territory.
“Those who play with fire will eventually get burned,” Xi was quoted as telling Biden in reference to Taiwan, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency — using the same language he had employed when they spoke last November.
“I hope the US side fully understands that,” Xi told Biden.
