US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visits Taiwan

During a historic trip to Taiwan Wednesday, US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said her visit was intended to make it "unequivocally clear" that the United States would "not abandon" the democratically governed island.

Pelosi left Taiwan on Wednesday, en route to South Korea's capital Seoul, after becoming the first sitting US House Speaker in 25 years to visit the self-governing island.

Pelosi's praise of the island's commitment to democracy was a significant show of support for Taipei, coming just hours after China threatened to retaliate to her presence with a series of military exercises the Taiwanese Defense Ministry likened to a "maritime and aerial blockade."

Beijing had repeatedly warned of dire consequences should the trip move forward -- even going as far as to warn US President Joe Biden that those who played with fire would "perish" by it.

But the warnings from Beijing -- and even a suggestion by Biden himself that the US military thought the trip was "not a good idea" -- did not dissuade Pelosi, 82, from flying into the island alongside a congressional delegation on Tuesday and meeting with its leading officials.

"We are proud of our enduring friendship," said Pelosi, speaking alongside Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen at the presidential office in Taipei the morning after her arrival.

Our live coverage of Pelosi's visit is ending. Read the full story here.

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has departed Taipei’s Songshan airport, concluding a high-stakes visit to Taiwan that drew the ire of China.

Pelosi urged continued US "solidarity" with the self-governing island during her two-day trip, the first time a US House speaker has visited Taiwan in 25 years.

Shortly before taking off on Wednesday afternoon local time, she tweeted that her delegation had "reiterated our ironclad support for Taiwan’s democracy."

Nancy Pelosi has pledged "ironclad support" for Taiwan, as she prepares to leave the island.

The US House speaker posted images of her meeting with Taiwan's deputy speaker of the legislature Tsai Chi-chang on her official Twitter account.

"We reiterated our ironclad support for Taiwan’s democracy, including on matters of security & stability, economic growth and governance," she wrote.

"We also spoke virtually with Legislative Yuan President You Si-kun and wished him a speedy recovery," she added, following his positive test for Covid-19.

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan reflects Washington's desire to prove its "impunity and display their lawlessness," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Wednesday during a news conference with Myanmar’s Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin, according to Russian state news agency TASS.

Lavrov connected Pelosi's visit with the US response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, saying: "I cannot tell what was their [the Americans’] motivation but there are no doubts that it reflects the very same policy we are talking about with regards to the Ukrainian situation."

"This is a desire to prove to absolutely everyone [their] impunity and display their lawlessness."

Lavrov said he did not see any other "reason to create such an irritant literally out of nowhere, fully aware what it means for the People’s Republic of China."

On Tuesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Russia considered Pelosi's visit "a clear provocation in the spirit of the United States' aggressive policy of an all-out effort to contain the PRC [People's Republic of China]."

The ministry also called on Washington "to refrain from actions that undermine regional stability and international security and to recognize the new geopolitical reality in which there is no longer any place for American hegemony."

Some context: China's refusal to condemn Russia's war on Ukraine has fueled speculation over its intentions with Taiwan, raising questions about how the world might react should it launch an attack.

Elsewhere on Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on China “to join the united world” and oppose Russia, in a virtual address to the Australian National University.

The President discussed China when answering questions from students. He said China’s “neutrality" toward Russia's invasion "is better” than if China were to announce its outright support for Russia. But he said he believed “the nation, the people of China will do the prudent choice.” He went on to say it is “important that China wouldn’t help Russia.”

Taiwan is negotiating with neighboring Japan and the Philippines to find alternative aviation routes, after China announced live fire drills around the trade-reliant island, its government-controlled news agency reported Wednesday.

China’s military announced late Tuesday that it would launch military exercises around Taiwan in response to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the self-governed island, along with a series of “targeted military operations to counteract the situation,” according to statements released by its Eastern Theater Command and Ministry of Defense. 

Responding to the move, Taiwan's defense ministry said the exercises were tantamount to a “maritime and aerial blockade,” which threatened international waters. 

Taiwan’s Maritime and Port Bureau also issued three notices on Wednesday, asking vessels to use alternative routes for seven ports around the island.

In a tweet Wednesday afternoon, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen shared photos of her meeting with US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi earlier in the day.

"A pleasure to meet with [Speaker Pelosi] & recognise her longstanding support for Taiwan," Tsai wrote. "Your visit not only reflects strong US congressional support for bilateral ties – it also sends a message to the world that democracies stand together in the face of common challenges."

The photos show Tsai and Pelosi waving to reporters and officials in the room, and the moment Tsai bestowed Taiwan's highest civilian honor upon the Speaker.

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi landed in Taipei late Tuesday evening to reporters crowding the airport and hundreds on the streets — including both supporters and protesters.

Supporters clapped and cheered when she arrived, with many saying they saw her visit as a welcome show of support for Taiwan from the United States. But some critics told CNN the trip felt like political posturing that only worsened cross-strait tensions.

The Taipei 101, an iconic landmark in the city, lit up with a message welcoming Pelosi as her plane landed. "TW (loves) US," the message read.

Pelosi returned the sentiment on Wednesday as she met with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, reiterating the United States' commitment to the island in her remarks. "America stands with Taiwan," she said.

Pelosi also met with Taiwanese lawmakers and Taiwan's deputy speaker earlier Wednesday morning in the self-ruled island's legislature.

Meanwhile, Beijing has lashed out at Pelosi, with the Chinese military announcing it would start exercises around Taiwan in response. Late Tuesday night, after Pelosi's arrival, the Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister summoned the US Ambassador to China, Nicholas Burns, to protest the visit.

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi lashed out at US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday, calling her visit to Taiwan a "complete farce" and warning that "those who play with fire will perish."

"The United States is violating China's sovereignty under the pretense of democracy," Wang told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting with ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) foreign ministers in Cambodia.

In a statement earlier Wednesday, China's Foreign Ministry criticized Pelosi for "brazenly" going ahead with her visit, claiming it "maliciously infringes on China's sovereignty and blatantly engages in political provocations."

China's Taiwan Affairs Office also said in a separate statement Wednesday that Beijing will take "criminal punishment measures" for those who are "die-hard" in support of Taiwanese independence.

Military drills: Ahead of Pelosi's visit, China had issued a number of furious warnings, vowing to take "resolute and forceful measures" if her trip to the island went ahead.

After the Speaker's arrival in Taipei on Tuesday, China's military said it would start exercises around Taiwan and launch a series of "targeted military operations to counteract the situation," according to statements from China's Eastern Theater Command and Ministry of Defense.

China has suspended the import of citrus fruits and some fish products from Taiwan and the export of natural sand to the island, Chinese authorities said Wednesday, amid a visit by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taipei.

China’s Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson Ma Xiaoguang said Wednesday that the import of grapefruit, lemons, oranges and other citrus fruits, as well as chilled white striped hairtail and frozen horse mackerel from Taiwan to China had been suspended.

In a separate statement, Chinese Customs said the import suspension of citrus fruit is a result of “pest control” and “excessive pesticide residues,” and cited “Covid prevention” for the suspension of seafood imports.

Sand export ban: Meanwhile, China’s Ministry of Commerce also announced Wednesday it is immediately suspending its export of natural sand to Taiwan, a key component for the production of semi-conductor chips.

In a statement Wednesday following the announcement, Taiwan's Bureau of Mines said China suspending its sand exports would have a “limited” effect and that Taiwan's domestic demand for Chinese sand accounts for "less than 1%" in recent years.

Some context: Amid escalating tensions with Taiwan in recent years, China has previously banned imports of some Taiwanese products. Last year, China banned imports of pineapples from the island followed by some types of apples, citing “pest control.” Earlier this year, it also banned Taiwanese grouper fish, citing detection of some banned drugs and excessive antibiotics.

Beijing's recent announcements coincide with Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, the first trip to the self-ruled island by a sitting speaker in 25 years, and after Beijing issued stern warnings that it would take countermeasures in retaliation.