‘Grave consequences’ if Nancy Pelosi visits Taiwan: China warns US

China has warned the US of ‘very grave’ consequences if US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visits Taiwan. This comes after reports of Pelosi's likely visit to Taiwan where she is scheduled to meet with top government officials at the self-governed island that China calls its own and vows to forcefully takeover.

Pelosi is on an Asian tour this week that is being closely watched to see if she will defy China's warnings against visiting Taiwan.

It was unclear where she was headed from Malaysia, but local media in Taiwan reported that she would arrive on Tuesday night, becoming the highest-ranking elected US Official to visit in more than 25 years.

Taiwan and China split in 1949 after the Communists won a civil war on the mainland. The US maintains informal relations and defence ties with Taiwan even as it recognizes Beijing as the government of China.

Beijing sees official American contact with Taiwan as an encouragement to make the island's decades-old de facto independence permanent, a step US Leaders say they don't support.

Pelosi kicked off her Asian tour in Singapore on Monday as her possible visit to Taiwan sparked jitters in the region.

(With inputs from PTI)

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