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News Desk: Taiwan cancelled leave of some officials and soldiers and also mobilised the air defence forces as it ‘prepares for war’ with China over US senator Nancy Pelosi’s reported visit. It is reported that Pelosi will arrive on Tuesday night.
China sees official American contact with Taiwan as encouragement to make the island’s decades-old de facto independence permanent, a step US leaders say they don’t support. The US administration had tried to assure Beijing there was no reason to “come to blows” and that if such a visit occurred, it would signal no change in US policy on Taiwan.
China has repeatedly warned against the visit and on Tuesday foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said “The US side will bear the responsibility and pay the price for undermining China’s sovereign security interests”.
Taiwan’s defence ministry said “We had a full grasp of military activities and we are determined to defend against any Chinese threats”.
