In the midst of conducting military exercises close to Taiwan as retaliation for U.S. Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the island, China has said it was stopping climate cooperation and military talks with the United States. Cooperation on returning illegal immigrants, criminal investigations, transnational crime, illegal drugs and climate change will be suspended, the Chinese foreign ministry said. Dialogue between U.S. and Chinese regional commanders and defence department heads would be cancelled, along with talks on military maritime safety, the Associated Press reported. The actions were taken because Pelosi visited Taiwan “in disregard of China’s strong opposition and serious representations,” the ministry said in a statement. On Friday, China said more than 100 warplanes and 10 warships have taken part in the live-fire military drills surrounding Taiwan over the past two days, while announcing mainly symbolic sanctions against Pelosi and her family. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has called the drills a “significant escalation” and has urged Beijing to back down. Taiwan has put its military on alert and staged civil defence drills. Flights have been cancelled or diverted and fishermen have remained in port.
