China punishes Taiwan after US Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit

China rolled out curbs Wednesday on the import of fruit and fish from Taiwan while halting shipments of sand to the island in the wake of a visit by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

The trip by Pelosi, who is second in line to the presidency and the highest-profile elected US official to visit Taiwan in 25 years, has ignited a diplomatic firestorm, reported AFP.

She landed in Taiwan late Tuesday in the wake of increasingly stark warnings from China, which considers the island a part of its territory to one day be reclaimed, by force if necessary.

China's Customs Administration said Wednesday it would suspend some citrus fruits and fish imports from Taiwan over alleged "repeated" detection of excessive pesticide residue and positive coronavirus tests on packages.

In a separate notice, the Commerce Ministry added it would also "suspend the export of natural sand to Taiwan" from Wednesday, without providing details.

China has blocked imports from hundreds of Taiwanese food producers and temporarily suspended exports of natural sand to the country in what Taipei perceives as the opening shot in a campaign to punish it economically for a visit by the US House Speaker' visit.

It is not the first time Beijing has taken aim at Taiwan's exports.

China banned pineapple imports from the island in March 2021, citing the discovery of pests, in a move that was widely seen as politically driven.

Beijing has ramped up pressure on Taiwan since President Tsai Ing-wen took office in 2016, as she views the island as a de facto sovereign nation and not part of "one China".

On top of the latest bans, Taipei's Council of Agriculture said on Tuesday that China had cited regulatory breaches in suspending the import of other Taiwanese goods, including fishery products, tea and honey.

Meanwhile, Chinese authorities also announced planned live-fire military drills encircling Taiwan, in a move Taipei's defence ministry said threatened the island's key ports and urban areas.

At some points, the zone of Chinese operations will come within 20 kilometres (12.4 miles) of Taiwan's shoreline, according to coordinates shared by the People's Liberation Army.

Taiwan's 23 million people have long lived with the possibility of an invasion, but that threat has intensified under current President Xi Jinping, China's most assertive leader in a generation.