China Takes Measures to Intimidate Taiwan Ahead of Prospective Pelosi Visit

TAIPEI, Taiwan—With uncertainty over whether House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will visit Taiwan during her Asia trip, the Chinese communist regime has decided to intimidate the self-ruled island both militarily and economically.

Local media in Taiwan reported on Aug. 2 that Chinese customs officials announced a temporary ban on food imports from more than 100 Taiwanese companies overnight. Among those facing the ban are companies in the snack food and agricultural industries.

Wu Shou-mei, director-general of Taiwan’s Food and Drug Administration, told reporters on Tuesday that she couldn’t rule out “political reasons” as factors going into Beijing’s decision to impose the ban.

“We will not be intimidated by PRC’s [People’s Republic of China] weaponization of trade,” Taiwan’s ruling party lawmaker Wang Ting-yu wrote on Twitter in response to the Chinese ban.

Chen Kuan-ting, CEO of Taiwan’s think tank NextGen Foundation, said China is using the ban to serve its political motivation.

“China’s response of stopping certain food and agricultural imports in wake of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s potential visit to Taiwan is clearly an underhand move attempting to punish Taiwan for actions of the U.S.,” Chen wrote on Twitter.

“China continues to use economic manipulation techniques to attempt to coherce [sic] Taiwan’s political relationships and behavior,” Chen continued. “This reflects China’s heavy-handed approach to try and unilaterally dictate the China-Taiwan relationship.”

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) leaves the Shangri-La Hotel after a reception organised by the American Chamber of Commerce in Singapore on Aug. 1, 2022. (Roslan Rahman/AFP via Getty Images)

Pelosi arrived in Malaysia on the morning of Aug. 2, the second stop of her Asia trip following a visit to Singapore. While in Singapore, she met with President Halimah Yacob, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, and Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan.

China has reacted angrily