Ahead of the visit by US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan, state-backed Chinese newspaper Global Times on August 2 said Beijing has decided to close most of its airspace in the Fujian region, which is closest to Taiwan, as part of the military exercises carried out in the region.

As of August 2 noon, flights at airports in several cities in Fujian province, including Xiamen, Fuzhou and Quanzhou, have been partially cancelled, according to Xiamen Airlines, citing regional traffic control, reported the Global Times.

'Those who play with fire will perish by it'

China has been repeatedly warning the US of “consequences” over the last few days if Pelosi decided to visit Taiwan, which regards Taiwan as a renegade province to be annexed by force if necessary. Wang Xiaojian, Spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in India, said: "Those who play with fire will perish by it."

Taiwan’s tallest building and most iconic landmark, Taipei 101, lit up at 9pm tonight, welcoming @SpeakerPelosi’s visit to Taiwan. Words include “Speaker Pelosi”, “Welcome to TW”, “Thank you”, “TW ❤️ US” (1/2) pic.twitter.com/q0aFEjqGZl

— Tingting Liu 劉亭廷 (@tingtingliuTVBS) August 2, 2022

As Pelosi’s trip apparently inched nearer, China continued with its explicit script, saying on August 2 that US will “pay the price.”

The Chinese Embassy stated: “China firmly opposes separatist moves toward ‘Taiwan independence’ and interference by external forces.” If the US side insists on making the visit and crosses China’s red line, “it must bear all consequences arising thereof,” the statement had said.

Also Read: Why US-China tension may escalate with Nancy Pelosi’s Taiwan stop

Pelosi: From Malaysia, to...

The plane carrying Pelosi and her delegation left from a Malaysian air force base after a brief stopover that included a lunch meeting with Malay Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, an official said on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorised to release details to the media.

Pelosi is on an Asian tour this week that is being closely watched to see if she will defy China's warnings against visiting Taiwan.

It was unclear where she was headed from Malaysia, but local media in Taiwan reported that she would arrive on the night of August 2, becoming the highest-ranking elected US official to visit in more than 25 years. The United Daily News, Liberty Times, and China Times, Taiwan's three largest national newspapers, cited unidentified sources as saying she would spend the night in Taiwan.

Taiwan's Foreign Ministry declined to comment. Premier Su Tseng-chang didn't explicitly confirm Pelosi's visit but said on August 3 that any foreign guests and friendly lawmakers are very much welcome.

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(Edited by : Shoma Bhattacharjee)

First Published:Aug 2, 2022 7:32 PM IST