Trump: ‘Everything Pelosi touches turns to chaos, disruption’

Former US President Trump has denounced House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s planned trip to Chinese Taipei (Taiwan), which has been condemned by China.

The Chinese government has warned Pelosi against visiting the island, saying it would challenge a “red line” and will be met with “resolute countermeasures.”

China has warned the United States that it would be responsible for any consequences.

Joe Biden administration officials have reportedly expressed concerns that China may try to impose a no-fly zone over Taiwan ahead of the visit.

Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social on Friday that “the China mess is the last thing she should be involved in — She will only make it worse.”

“Everything she touches,” he wrote, “turns to Chaos, Disruption, and ‘Crap.'”

US President Joe Biden said last week the Pentagon was concerned about a backlash from China and was seeking to discourage the visit from happening.

“The military thinks it’s not a good idea right now,” Biden said as he stepped off of Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, “but I don’t know what the status of it is.”

China’s foreign ministry has warned that Beijing would take "forceful measures" if Pelosi visits Taiwan as reported by sections of US media.

A Chinese political analyst and researcher said China has conveyed to the United States that Taiwan is a redline that Washington should not meddle with.

Yilun Zhang, who is a Research Associate and Administrative Officer at the Institute for China-America Studies, made the remarks in an interview with Press TV on Thursday.

“It is not surprising that China is reacting significantly stronger to Speaker Pelosi's potential visit to Taiwan in August than any other tension over Taiwan,” Zhang said.

“Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, from Beijing's perspective, is a significant change of status quo, which seriously violates what the US and China agreed on in the Three Joint Communiqués. If she lands in Taipei, the Speaker is not only the highest-ranking American lawmaker but also the second politician in the US presidential succession line. Therefore, despite the Biden administration's attempt to draw lines between the executive and the legislative branch, it means little difference to the Chinese side, which is why it still points its finger to the White House, not just Congress,” the analyst explained. 

China has deployed its warplanes into Taiwan's self-declared air defense zone identification zone many times in recent months, a move that does not violate any international law but which usually results in Taiwan taking precautionary measures, including sometimes scrambling its fighter jets.

Chinese planes have not entered the island's territorial airspace -- the area extending 12 nautical miles from its coastline.

Tensions between Washington and Beijing over the issue of Taiwan have intensified in recent months. China has long claimed the self-ruled island as part of its territory and has repeatedly vowed to "reunify" with the land of 24 million people -- by force if necessary.

The US has committed to supplying Taiwan with all sorts of armaments, though recent weapons sales to Taipei have been slow to arrive, raising concerns among those US lawmakers particularly hostile against China’s growing influence in the region.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk