Calls A Number Of US Politicians 'playing With Fire' On Taiwan, Chinese Foreign Minister: Shameful And Will Not End Well

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. (Wikimedia Commons/Tasnim News Agency/Erfan Kouchari)

JAKARTA - Some US politicians are openly 'playing with fire' over the Taiwan issue, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Tuesday during his official tour of Central Asian countries.

"The United States' violation of its obligations regarding the Taiwan issue is disgraceful and it can only bring the US reputation closer to its downfall," China's Foreign Ministry quoted Wang Yi as saying in a statement.

"Some politicians in the United States only care about their personal interests and they are openly playing with fire on the Taiwan issue," he added.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi said US politicians "playing with fire" on the Taiwan issue "will not end well", according to a ministry statement.

While he did not specify any US politicians, China has expressed opposition to Pelosi's potential visit to Taiwan, escalating escalation in the region.

Taiwanese media reported earlier, citing an unnamed military observer, that two Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy operational aircraft carriers had been deployed to the sea and possibly headed for the Taiwan Strait.

Taiwanese newspaper Zhongguo Shibao reported that the carriers Liaoning and Shandong recently departed from the ports of Qingdao and Sanya.

It is understood Pelosi's visit may be the first trip by a US official with this rank to the island in 25 years. Beijing has repeatedly warned Washington that a visit to the island, if it happens, will not be left without consequences and China will take strong action.