China’s foreign ministry issued eight “countermeasures” to the U.S., including breaking off anti-drug trafficking, climate change and security ties, in response to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s Taiwan visit.
China previously vowed to take “forceful measures” against the U.S. should Pelosi follow through with her then-unconfirmed trip to the contested island, arguing that Pelosi’s independent talks with Taiwan’s president would threaten Chinese sovereignty. While China commenced large-scale military exercises Tuesday in a show of force against Taiwan, its response to the U.S. has remained muted.
“Our countermeasures are necessary as a warning to the provocateurs and as a step to uphold our sovereignty and security,” foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said Friday.
China said it will no longer cooperate with the U.S. to counter illicit drug trafficking. China manufactures and exports most of the base ingredient used to produce the drug fentanyl that has sparked an addiction crisis in the U.S. and led to a spike in overdose deaths, according to the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. (RELATED: In 2.5-Hour Conversation With China’s Xi, Biden Mentions COVID Origins And Fentanyl Zero Times)
While China placed fentanyl under a controlled regulatory scheme in 2019, Chinese traders instead turned to Mexican drug smuggling cartels to continue funneling the narcotic into the U.S., according to a 2022 Brookings Institution report. Growing geopolitical tensions have largely stymied any cooperation between the U.S. and China on countering drug trafficking.
The foreign ministry announced suspension of U.S.-China dialogue on climate change issues, after a deal between the two countries in 2014 led to the historic Paris accords, the Associated Press reported.
The nation of up to 1.4 billion people produces over 30% of the world’s emissions and relies heavily on coal, a fuel source most developed nations have spurned. China’s willingness to act on climate issues remains “highly insufficient,” according to Climate Action Tracker, and President Xi Jinping skipped a 2021 U.N. summit on climate issues despite a later promise to support climate change mitigation initiatives.
Other countermeasures include “suspending China-U.S. cooperation against transnational crimes,” “suspending China-US cooperation on the repatriation of illegal immigrants” and canceling talks between theater-level commanders, along with other military dialogues.
If the US is indeed a responsible country, it should have prevented #Pelosi‘s irresponsible aggression early on and it should have removed the many military vessels and aircraft it has deployed right at China’s doorstep.
— Hua Chunying 华春莹 (@SpokespersonCHN) August 5, 2022
China also announced unspecified sanctions against Pelosi and her family a few hours prior to releasing the countermeasures, saying Pelosi’s visit constituted “a gross interference in China’s internal affairs.”
National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby called China’s escalating military activity in the waters around Taiwan an “overreaction” Thursday.
The Pentagon, White House, State Department and Department of Homeland Security, Chinese Embassy to the U.S. and Chinese Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s requests for comment.
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