The G7 Foreign Ministers: ‘concerned by recent and announced threatening actions by PRC’

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Wednesday spoke to Taiwan’s legislature, met with the country’s president, and said her visit honors America’s unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwan’s vibrant democracy.

“We commend Taiwan for being one of the freest societies in the world, for your success in addressing [the COVID-19 pandemic], which is a health issue, a security issue, an economic issue, and a governance issue,” she said.

The speaker arrived in Taipei late on Tuesday with a congressional delegation to praise the independent island claimed by China. Beijing lost no time in announcing its ire, outlining a schedule of military maneuvers in protest.

Back in Washington, U.S. President Joe Biden held a secure phone call with his national security team and discussed a wide range of priorities, including the United States’ support of a free and open Indo-Pacific.

Meanwhile, the G7 Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States of America said they are concerned by recent and announced threatening actions by the People’s Republic of China (PRC), particularly live-fire exercises and economic coercion, which risk unnecessary escalation.

Pelosi left behind a crisis and a new brinkmanship between China and the U.S. over power and influence in Asia. Taiwan is bracing for Beijing to begin live-fire military drills on Thursday, an escalation without recent precedent. During the drills, Chinese forces are expected to drop missiles only 10 miles from the island’s coast, a direct challenge to what Taiwan defines as its coastline.