China has halted ties with the US on a range of critical issues, from talks on the climate crisis to dialogue between their militaries, following the visit to Taiwan by the US House speaker, Nancy Pelosi.
The announcement of the counter-measures came as Beijing conducted military drills surrounding the island of Taiwan. Earlier, China announced sanctions against Pelosi and her direct family members. Beijing called Pelosi’s visit “vicious and provocative.”
The halted interactions ranged from climate talks, to dialogues between the leaders of Chinese and US military theatres, to the working meeting of Chinese and US defence ministries, and a consultation mechanism on maritime military safety between the countries.
Tensions are running high in the Taiwan Strait. The military drills have forced a number of vessels to reroute their journeys, causing disruptions to regional (and global) economies. According to Lloyd’s List Intelligence data, an average of 240 commercial ships have passed through the maritime zones each day over the past week.
Earlier, the US condemned China’s launch of ballistic missiles around Taiwan during live-fire exercises as an “overreaction” as a number of Chinese ships and planes again crossed the median line.
