Following her trip to Taiwan, China has sanctioned Nancy Pelosi and severed cooperation with the United States

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan has proven to have unintended consequences. China has not taken the historic visitation lying down, but has now enacted several “consequences” of the trip including severing cooperation with the United States, placing personal sanctions on Nancy Pelosi, and launching mass missile and military drills over and around Taiwan.

As retaliation and a show of force, since Nancy Pelosi left Taiwan the island nation has become effectively blockaded by China as the larger nation launches missile drills and military exercises. Some of these missiles have even landed in Japanese waters, and therefore threaten world order as a slight miscalculation can result in casualties and therefore war.

Additionally, China has decided to sever cooperation with the United States on several issues including anti-drug work, climate action, and military cooperativeness. This comes partly in response to the Biden administration’s admonishment of China’s military activity via their ambassador Qin Gang, Thursday.

Finally, China has also levied sanctions against Nancy Pelosi and her immediate family.

From the New York Post:

“Despite China’s serious concerns and firm opposition, Pelosi insisted on visiting Taiwan, seriously interfering in China’s internal affairs, undermining China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, trampling on the one-China policy, and threatening the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait,” a foreign ministry spokesperson said.

“In response to Pelosi’s egregious provocation, China decides to adopt sanctions on Pelosi and her immediate family members in accordance with relevant laws of the People’s Republic of China.”

Although the extent of these sanctions are currently unclear, what is more clear is that Pelosi’s visit has prompted significant response from China.

This is due to Xi Jinping’s aspirations towards “reunifying” China, or in other words, annexing Taiwan. Xi Jinping is up for reconfirmation as President of China and Chairman of the Communist Party, and Pelosi’s trip undermined his authority in the region, therefore he feels obligated to make a show of strength to save face before his comrades.

The island nation of Taiwan will bear the brunt of the consequences from this trip.