Facts

• On Fri., the PRC imposed unspecified sanctions on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and her immediate family members in response to her trip to Taiwan earlier this week.
• China also announced that it would halt cooperation with the US in areas including military relations and climate change. This comes as the PRC also started a four-day military drill near Taiwan on Thursday.
• During Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, she criticized China's policy toward the island and said that the US must not shy away from focusing on alleged Chinese human rights abuses because of US-PRC commercial interests.
• Pelosi's trip has marked a new escalation, with reports suggesting that China's military exercises are the largest it has ever undertaken and are located in areas closer to Taiwan than those that led to the 'Third Taiwan Strait Crisis' from 1995-96.
• Pelosi is one of the most notable China-critics in US politics, being a consistent advocate against alleged human rights abuses and even contradicting the Democrats' party line on issues such as Beijing's perceived threat to US security and economic interests.
• Tensions have mounted in recent years as China has strengthened its claims over Taiwan by expanding its military presence, while the US has remained committed to its somewhat ambiguous policy on the island, not recognizing its independence but supporting its right to send delegations to international bodies such as the UN.