Hu Xijin, who used to be the editor-in-chief of the Global Times, tweeted on July 30 that the Chinese government should shoot down Nancy Pelosi’s plane if she tries to go to Taiwan.
The former head of the state-owned daily tabloid, which is run by the Chinese Communist Party, also said that the U.S. Speaker of the House’s trip to Taiwan would be a “invasion.”
“If U.S. fighter jets follow Pelosi’s plane into Taiwan, it is an invasion…
The PLA (People’s Liberation Army) has the right to forcefully get rid of Pelosi’s plane and the U.S. fighter jets. They can do this by firing warning shots and moving in a way that blocks their path.”
He also wrote:
“Hu Xijin used to be the head editor of the newspaper Global Times. He used to be a reporter for the People’s Daily. In the 1990s, he wrote about the Bosnian war.”
Hu is said to have left his job as chief editor of Global Times in December of last year. But he is still connected to the magazine because he is a special commentator. Since 1989, the journalist has worked in the news and media business in China.
According to the U.S.-China Perception Monitor, Hu Xijin graduated from the Nanjing Military International Relations University in 1982. The 62-year-old man from Beijing is also said to have a Master’s degree in Russian Literature and Language from Beijing Foreign Studies University.
Before working for the Global Times, Hu covered the war in Bosnia and later became the deputy editor of the People’s Daily, which is also run by the Chinese government. He joined Global Times in 1995.
Many foreign news outlets, like the New York Post, have called Hu, a Chinese citizen, a “propagandist” because he has worked for several state-owned publications.
Why did Hu Xijin make this kind of threat against Nancy Pelosi?
Recent news stories said that Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, planned to visit several U.S. allies in Asia. Taiwan is said to have been on her list of Asian countries to visit. Pelosi hasn’t said for sure what she might do on her trip to Taiwan.
But because of the reports, the Chinese government has warned her very strongly not to go to Taiwan. AP says that on Tuesday, Tan Kefei, a spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Defense, gave the United States another warning. The warnings Tan gave were:
“If the US does this, the Chinese military will never stand by and do nothing…
To stop outside interference and separatist plans for “Taiwan independence” and to protect national sovereignty and territorial integrity, Taiwan will have to take strong steps.”
In the meantime, several articles in different publications quoted Chinese government officials who said that Nancy Pelosi and the U.S. government were in danger because of their actions. This is said to have included Chinese President Xi Jinping, who called US President Joe Biden to warn him about the same thing.
Hu Xijin may have made this threat because of the constant threats about Nancy Pelosi’s possible trip to Taiwan.
China doesn’t want Nancy Pelosi to go to Taiwan because of what?
The problem comes down to the fact that China says Taiwan is part of their country. But Taiwan, which is officially called the Republic of China, thinks of itself as an independent country, even though China has tried many times over the years to annex Taiwan and use military force to control it.
During her time in the U.S. Congress, Nancy Pelosi has also spoken out against China. This could be another reason why China doesn’t want the 82-year-old man from Baltimore to go to Taiwan.
If Pelosi, who is third in line to become U.S. President after Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, goes to Taiwan, she will be the highest-ranking U.S. official to go there in 25 years.
So, China says that Taiwan can’t make foreign relationships with U.S. delegates on its own. Because of the recent rise in tensions between the U.S. and China over Taiwan, the Chinese military announced that it would be doing drills.
Off the coast opposite of Taiwan, these military drills are said to be going on. At the same time, the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier has been placed by chance in the South China Sea. Even so, the U.S. Navy said the move was planned ahead of time.