Leonid Slutsky: “The visit of Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan is a provocation among provocations. And the reaction of the White House, which did not see “reasons for escalation” in her arrival in Taipei, speaks of ignoring the position of China, which did not agree to such a trip.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping has already warned the United States in very wise words: “He who plays with fire runs the risk of getting burned.” Apparently, Washington is not so wise if it deliberately decided to aggravate the situation.
Moscow fully supports the One China principle, considering Taiwan an integral part of it. This position was reaffirmed during the visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to China in February and was reflected in the Joint Statement of the two leaders.
Pelosi’s plane drew a line in the skies over Taiwan today that divided China-US relations into before and after. Beijing has every right to take all the necessary, in its opinion, steps to protect sovereignty and territorial integrity. Washington again acted as a provocateur and “destabilizer” of the situation in the region. And Russia, as a key partner and a state neighboring China, cannot but be concerned.”
