The Chinese government has decided to sanction U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who visited Taiwan from the 2nd to the 3rd of August.

“China has decided to impose sanctions on Pelosi and her immediate relatives following relevant laws targeting Pelosi’s vicious provocations,” a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on their website on the 5th. He added, “Pelosi, despite China’s stern concerns and resolute opposition, seriously interfered in China’s internal affairs and undermined China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.’ In the past, the Chinese government have imposed sanctions on U.S. personnel, including restrictions on entry to China, freezing assets in China, and banning transactions with Chinese companies and individuals. The sanctions on Pelosi and her family have not been specified.

The eastern part of the People’s Liberation Army, which has jurisdiction over Taiwan, had said it would launch a series of joint military operations around Taiwan from the night of the 2nd. China’s state-run Xinhua news agency said the People’s Liberation Army would conduct important military exercises and live fire in the waters and airspace from noon on the 4th to noon on the 7th. Some of these zones also contain Taiwan’s territorial waters. The southwest training area (near Taiwan’s second city of Kaohsiung) is so close that it is about 16km away from mainland Taiwan. “For safety reasons, the relevant vessels and aircraft shall not enter the waters mentioned above and airspace during this period,” the news agency said. Then, early on the night of the 2nd, when Speaker Pelosi arrived, the Chinese military entered the southwestern airspace of Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) to stage armed protests.

China’s military exercises are expected to disrupt global logistics. Citing sources, Bloomberg said, “Natural gas suppliers are changing routes or reducing the speed of some liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers heading to North Asia.” Thus, “transportation may be delayed by about three days from the previous schedule.” The Chinese People’s Liberation Army released a statement expressing their intentions to fight back with a series of targeted military actions to defend the sovereignty of the country and the integrity of its territory. Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense said, “China is trying to threaten major ports and cities in Taiwan by heralding training around Taiwan.”

On the 5th, the Chinese government cut off the current dialogue and cooperation channels between the U.S. and China. China’s Foreign Ministry announced on Thursday that it would cancel a telephone conversation between the two countries’ war zone leaders, while also putting a stop to working-level talks on the Ministry of National Defense and the Maritime Military Security Council meeting. It also announced that it would temporarily suspend cooperation on the repatriation of illegal immigrants between the U.S. and China, criminal justice cooperation, multinational crime eradication cooperation, drug eradication cooperation, and climate change negotiation.

However, dialogue channels between economic and diplomatic authorities have not been disrupted. This can be interpreted as an intention not to push the relationship to total disconnection. However, if the U.S. responds to similar measures, then the country risks further straining of their relationship.