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Russia understands China's concerns over Pelosi's potential visit to Taiwan — Kremlin

As Dmitry Peskov said, a possible visit of Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan is purely provocative and leads to increased tensions in the region

MOSCOW, August 2. /TASS/. Russia supports China on the topic of Taiwan and understands Beijing's concerns about US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s potential visit to the island, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday.

"Of course, once again we want to stress that we stand in solidarity with China here. Its very, very sensitive attitude to this problem is understandable; it is absolutely justified. Instead of respecting this sensitivity, unfortunately, the US chooses the path of confrontation. This is to bode ill, we can only express regret here," Peskov said.

At the same time, the Kremlin spokesman stated that in general, the US actions lead to increased tensions in the region. "We probably can't say for sure right now whether she will or won't make it there. But we can for sure say that everything that is connected with this tour and with a possible visit to Taiwan is, of course, purely provocative. We can see this and the whole world can register it," Peskov noted.

The escalation of the situation in the Taiwan Strait occurred amid reports of Pelosi's possible visit to Taipei. Earlier, Taiwanese media reported, citing an unnamed military observer, that two aircraft carriers of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy had gone to sea and were headed to the Taiwan Strait area.

The visit to Taiwan by the speaker of the lower house of the US Congress could be the first for an American politician of such rank in 25 years. Beijing has repeatedly warned the American side that if the visit takes place, it will not go without consequences, and China will take tough measures. Washington believes that Beijing could, in light of the potential visit, take steps that would lead to a crisis, including missile launches or military drills.