China warned of "strong measures" on Thursday if US House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi visits Taiwan following media reports of an upcoming trip.

Japanese and Taiwanese media on Thursday reported that Pelosi will visit Taiwan next week, after leading a delegation to Japan this weekend.

Neither Taiwan nor Pelosi's office have confirmed the reports but Beijing -- which opposes countries having relations with Taipei -- spoke out against the potential visit.

"The US should abide by the One-China policy and... and immediately cancel Nancy Pelosi's plan to visit Taiwan," foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters.

"China will take strong measures in response to defend its national security and integrity," Zhao added.

A visit by Pelosi would be diplomatically significant for Taipei but not unprecedented.

Newt Gingrich visited Taiwan in 1997 when he was speaker of the House of Representatives.

China's Communist Party has never controlled self-ruled Taiwan but it nonetheless views the island as part of its territory and has vowed to one day seize it, by force if needed.

Beijing's sabre-rattling has increased significantly under President Xi Jinping, spurring diplomatic support for Taipei and visits from western nations shaken by China's more muscular tone.

Russia's recent invasion of Ukraine has also heightened fears that China might one day follow through on threats to annex its smaller neighbour.

Like most nations, the US diplomatically recognises Beijing but also maintains de facto diplomatic ties with Taipei and is bound by an Act of Congress to ensure Taiwan can maintain its defence.

Both US arms sales and diplomatic visits to Taiwan have ticked up under both former President Donald Trump and his successor Joe Biden.

China's Phoenix TV faces closure in Taiwan
Taipei (AFP) April 6, 2022 - Taiwan's government declared Phoenix TV a Chinese-funded company on Wednesday, a move that will force the network to close its office on the island.

Taipei has imposed tighter restrictions on Chinese companies seeking to invest on the island amid lingering political and military tensions between the two sides.

Beijing has ramped up pressure since Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen came to power in 2016, as she rejects its stance that the island is part of "one China".

China views self-ruled democratic Taiwan as its own territory and has vowed to one day seize it, by force if necessary.

On Wednesday, the Mainland Affairs Council -- Taiwan's top China policy-making body -- said "stock transfers and personnel changes" had turned Phoenix TV into a de facto state-controlled entity.

Authorities have demanded the company either stop operating in Taiwan, pull its investment or "rectify" the situation, the statement said.

Phoenix TV's offices in Taipei and Hong Kong did not respond to requests for comment.

Headquartered in Hong Kong, Phoenix TV is partially state-owned and offers Mandarin and Cantonese language programming including news that hews to Beijing's government.

Its audience is mostly Chinese speakers in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan as well as the overseas ethnic Chinese diaspora.

Filings with the Hong Kong stock exchange show its largest shareholder is Bauhinia Holdings, a Chinese government-owned company.

Taiwan's Liberty Times newspaper reported Wednesday that Phoenix TV was planning to close its office in Taipei next month and lay off all 25 Taiwanese employees after a six-month-long negotiation with regulators made no headway.

Under Taiwan's regulations, a company is considered a Chinese investment if a Chinese entity owns more than 30 percent of its shares or has "effective control" over its operations.

Online marketplace Taobao Taiwan, registered as a foreign firm through its operator -- a UK venture investment company -- was forced to close in 2020 after the government ruled that it was controlled by Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba.

Related Links
Taiwan News at SinoDaily.com

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China's Phoenix TV faces closure in Taiwan
Taipei (AFP) April 6, 2022
Taiwan's government declared Phoenix TV a Chinese-funded company on Wednesday, a move that will force the network to close its office on the island. Taipei has imposed tighter restrictions on Chinese companies seeking to invest on the island amid lingering political and military tensions between the two sides. Beijing has ramped up pressure since Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen came to power in 2016, as she rejects its stance that the island is part of "one China". China views self-ruled de ... read more