[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] In response to Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, visiting Taiwan, China launched ballistic missiles in the Taiwan Strait, prompting the U.S. White House to urgently summon Qin Gang, the Chinese Ambassador to the U.S., to lodge a protest.
According to the Washington Post (WP) on the 4th (local time), John Kirby, White House National Security Council (NSC) Coordinator for Strategic Communications, stated in a statement sent to WP, "After China’s actions last night, we summoned Ambassador Qin to the White House to protest the provocative actions of the Chinese People's Liberation Army."
He also explained, "We condemned China’s military actions as irresponsible and inconsistent with the long-standing goal of maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait."
The White House reiterated to Ambassador Qin that the U.S. government's 'One China' policy remains unchanged and emphasized that it does not want tensions to escalate in the Taiwan Strait. However, it also mentioned that China’s show of force is unacceptable and that the U.S. will uphold its values in the Indo-Pacific region.
Earlier, during her Asia tour, Speaker Pelosi made a surprise visit to Taiwan on the 2nd and 3rd, marking the first visit by a U.S. House Speaker in 25 years. In response, China launched 11 ballistic missiles into waters surrounding Taiwan the previous day and conducted an unprecedented level of military demonstrations, including a large-scale artillery barrage in the eastern Taiwan Strait.
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