By Rhoda Kwan and Jennifer Jett -
NBC News
TAIPEI, Taiwan — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi left Taiwan on Wednesday after a whirlwind visit that drew fury from Beijing and sparked fears of a possible military crisis between the United States and China.
Before boarding a plane to leave the island, Pelosi vowed solidarity with the self-managed democracy that Beijing claims as its territory, as China launched military drills, summoned the US ambassador and halted some imports from Taiwan in a show of angry protest over your visit.
[Why has China been irritated by Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan? We explain the keys to the conflict and what is at stake]
"Our delegation came here to send an unequivocal message: the United States stands with Taiwan," Pelosi told a news conference in Taipei after meeting with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen.
The US Air Force plane carrying her and five other Democratic lawmakers took off from Taipei's Songshan Airport shortly after 6 am ET.
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China had warned for weeks against Pelosi's visit, issuing threats that raised fears of a new crisis in the region between the world's two largest economies.
As soon as he landed on Tuesday, Chinese officials unleashed a barrage of angry statements and announced plans for military exercises to begin immediately.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi condemned Pelosi's visit on Wednesday, calling it a "complete farce" by warning that "whoever offends China will be punished."
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"Those who play with fire will not end well and those who offend China must be punished," Wang told Chinese television CCTV from Phnom Penh, the Cambodian capital, where he is taking part in the Cambodian foreign ministers' meeting starting today. the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and its partners.
"It is Pelosi who is bombastic, but it is bilateral relations and regional peace and stability that will suffer," Hua Chunying said.
Some of the additional military drills planned for this week will take place within Taiwan's sea and air territory, a move the island democracy denounced as a serious violation amounting to a land and naval blockade.
Both Pelosi and Tsai said they were committed to maintaining the
status quo
, under which the United States recognizes Beijing as China's sole legitimate government but maintains unofficial relations with Taiwan.
[Biden clarifies that US policy on Taiwan "has not changed" after saying they would intervene if China invades the island]
"We want Taiwan to always have freedom safely, and we are not going to back down," Pelosi said.
Tsai welcomed the US delegation's visit "under such challenging circumstances," calling the Chinese military exercises "unnecessary."
US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Democrat) leaves the Legislative Yuan, Taiwan's parliament chamber, on August 3, 2022 in Taipei, Taiwan. Annabelle Chih / Getty Images
China regards Pelosi's visit as a major provocation due to her status as a senior official.
While US lawmakers and other current and former officials regularly visit Taiwan, Pelosi is the first House Speaker to visit the island since Newt Gingrich in 1997.
Pelosi said that although China has blocked Taiwan's participation in international organizations and meetings, "it will not stand in the way of people coming to Taiwan."
The lights of Taipei 101, the tallest building in Taiwan, displayed messages of welcome and thanks for the president's visit.
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More supporters met Pelosi outside her hotel, along with pro-Beijing protesters holding banners demanding she leave.
"The good thing is that I think this will make the world more aware of Taiwan's existence as a democratic country," Xu Hao-jun, a 45-year-old software designer from Taipei, told our sister network NBC News on Wednesday.
“The bad point?
I think that China will not be friendly, but that does not mean that because Pelosi does not come to Taiwan they will be less so.
Pelosi began Wednesday by addressing Taiwan's parliament, praising the island as "one of the freest societies in the world."
In a subsequent ceremony, Tsai presented Pelosi with a civil order of the highest rank, calling her "one of Taiwan's most devoted friends."
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In the afternoon, Pelosi - who has long criticized China's ruling Communist Party and its human rights record - met privately with three Chinese dissidents, local media reported.
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The delegation then boarded a plane bound for South Korea, the fourth stop on a wide-ranging tour of Asia that also includes Singapore, Malaysia and Japan.
Beijing considers Taiwan to be part of its territory and sees "reunification" as inevitable, by force if necessary.
The Taiwanese government rejects Beijing's claim to sovereignty and says the island's future must be decided by its 23 million people.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi accused the United States of stirring up controversy and encouraging supporters of Taiwan independence.
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"Attempts to use the Taiwan issue to contain China are doomed to failure," he said.
The White House said that Pelosi's visit is consistent with US policy on Taiwan, which it says has not changed, and that there is no reason for it to fuel the conflict.
The United States “will not seek or want a crisis.
We are prepared to handle whatever Beijing decides to do," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Tuesday.
China's reaction was swift.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry summoned Nicholas Burns, the US ambassador to China, late Tuesday to lodge a protest, state media reported.
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At the same time, the Chinese Ministry of National Defense said the People's Liberation Army had launched "targeted military operations" around Taiwan, including joint air and sea exercises and conventional missile tests.
The Taiwanese Defense Ministry said its self-declared air defense identification zone, which is outside its official airspace, was penetrated by a total of 21 Chinese military aircraft on Tuesday.
These types of military outings occur almost daily, but usually in smaller numbers.
On the economic front, Chinese customs authorities said they would suspend imports of various Taiwanese food products, while the Ministry of Commerce halted the export of natural sand to the island.
Taiwanese government websites also suffered minor cyberattacks upon Pelosi's arrival on Tuesday, the origin of which was unclear.
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) said more military exercises and training activities, including live-fire drills, would be held from Thursday to Sunday.
State media published a map outlining six zones off Taiwan's coast, including one less than 15 miles (24 kilometers) from the southern port city of Kaohsiung, and warned foreign ships and planes to they stayed away.
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In a statement on Wednesday, Taiwan's Foreign Ministry said this would seriously affect international trade and law.
He said Taiwan was in close communication and coordination with the United States and other like-minded countries in the region to "jointly uphold the rules-based international order" and "prevent regional escalation."
Rhoda Kwan reported from Taipei and Jennifer Jett from Hong Kong.