China threatens US over Pelosi's possible Taiwan visit

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View online August 01, 2022 1/ China warns military 'will not sit idly by' if Pelosi visits Taiwan Beijing has warned its military "will not sit idly by" if Nancy Pelosi visits Taiwan later this week during her tour of several Asian countries.   The latest warning was issued during a Chinese foreign ministry regular briefing. Spokesperson Zhao Lijian also said that because of Pelosi's status as the "No. 3 official of the US government", a visit to Taiwan would "lead to egregious political impact".   Ms Pelosi, the US House speaker, begun her tour of Asia on Sunday. She is due to visit Singapore today, followed by Malaysia, South Korea and Japan. There have also been suggestions that she will visit Taiwan towards the end of her tour on Thursday.   China considers Taiwan to be a breakaway province and strongly resists any international attempts of support for it as an independent sovereign state.   Ms Pelosi's published schedule makes no mention of a Taiwan visit. President Joe Biden has said that her visiting the country might not be a "good idea".   If she does visit the island nation, Ms Pelosi will be the highest-ranking American lawmaker to visit Taiwan since Newt Gingrich, a Republican, travelled there 25 years ago when he was House speaker.   "Under the strong leadership of President Biden, America is firmly committed to smart, strategic engagement in the region, understanding that a free and flourishing Indo-Pacific is crucial to prosperity in our nation and around the globe," the statement said.   While Taiwan has been self-ruled since shortly after the end of the Second World War, China considers the island a part of its own territory under the "One China" policy. The US has no diplomatic relations with Taiwan and only supplies arms under the Taiwan Relations Act.   However, Mr Biden has said on several occasions that the US will come to Taiwan's defence in the event of any attack.   A readout of a call between the American and Chinese premiers released by the Chinese foreign ministry said Mr Xi warned Mr Biden not to "play with fire" on Taiwan during their conversation on Thursday. 2/ Joe Biden sends pizza to burn pit protesters after Republicans block bill for veterans GOP inaction denounced after party pulls support from bipartisan bill over Democrats' budget reconciliation deal 3/ At least 28 dead in Kentucky floods: 'We're going to be finding bodies for weeks' Weather Prediction Centre says threat of flash flooding will gradually increase as very heavy rainfall rates develop and expand today 4/ 'Rule by thuggery': Rusty Bowers speaks out against Trumpism after Jan 6 testimony 'I'll never vote for him,' said GOP Arizona House speaker, 'but I won't have to, because I think America's tired' 5/ Joe Manchin evades question about whether he'll support Joe Biden in 2024 Conservative Democrat represents West Virginia, which Donald Trump won handily in 2020 and 2016 The Big Question What does a new depression study tell us about antidepressants and serotonin? A new umbrella review challenging long-held public beliefs about the cause of depression has caused a stir in the psychiatric community but it has not advised people to quit their antidepressant treatments.   The Serotonin Theory of Depression: A Systematic Umbrella Review of the Evidence was published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, and found that after reviewing a collection of previously published studies examining the connection between serotonin levels and depression there was little evidence to support the established idea that chemical imbalances were the cause.   The study's underlying questions probe why the chemical imbalance theory of depression remains the default in both the medical community and the broader public despite the alleged lack of evidence, and how that theory became dominant in the first place. Read the full story > Watch / Family of 9/11 victim calls Trump's statement on terrorist attack 'ridiculous' NUMBER OF THE DAY $1.1m   –  A watch that is believed to have belonged to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler has been sold for $1.1m (£900,000) to an anonymous bidder at an auction in the US. QUOTE OF THE DAY "I'll never vote for him. But I won't have to, because I think America's tired. And there's absolutely forceful, qualified, morally, defensible, and upright people. And that's what I want. That's what I want in my party. And that's what I want to see."" – Republican Arizona state house speaker Rusty Bowers has vowed to never vote for former president Donald Trump and said "America's tired" of him. Other stories you might like Veterans robbed of life-saving burn pits bill have a message for Republicans: 'We're not going away' Washington, the White House and a warming world wait for Kyrsten Sinema Debunked stories of police 'overdosing' from fentanyl are everywhere. 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