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Taipei. – US House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived in Taiwan yesterday on a visit that has enraged China which claims the self-governing island as its own territory.

Pelosi’s arrival in Taipei risks triggering a major crisis between China and the US,

China had threatened “serious consequences” if Pelosi – the highest ranking US official to travel to Taiwan in 25 years – went ahead with her visit.

“The US side will bear the responsibility and pay the price for undermining China’s sovereign security interests,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular news briefing in Beijing.

Yesterday morning, Chinese warships and aircraft repeatedly edged into the median line of the Taiwan Strait, according to reports. Four US naval ships, including one aircraft carrier, were deployed in the waters east of Taiwan before Pelosi’s arrival.

Analysts in Taiwan said Beijing’s reactions to the visit are likely to be both short and long-term.

While specific details of Pelosi’s itinerary in Taiwan have not been confirmed publicly, she is expected to visit the country’s Legislative Yuan this  morning and meet Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen before she leaves.

It also remained unclear if any substantial policy outcomes were to be announced during the visit, but experts concurred that the optics alone of Pelosi’s arrival are strategically significant.

There are no clear indications of a substantial policy announcement to come from this visit. – Al Jazeera