How is China punishing Taiwan for Pelosi’s visit?

China has unleashed a barrage of trade restrictions on Taiwan, on top of harsh military drills, as US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the island despite Beijing’s warnings.

China regards Taiwan as its sovereign territory and seeks to keep it isolated internationally by refusing countries to have official contacts with the self-governing democratic island.

After Pelosi was the highest-profile US elected official to visit Taiwan for 25 years, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Wednesday the response would be “firm, forceful and effective.”

Here are the measures China has announced so far:

The first response was quickly announced: live fire military drills in zones around Taiwan — in some places just 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the island’s coast.

The drills include “long-range live ammunition shooting” in the Taiwan Strait, which separates the island from mainland China and straddles major shipping lanes.

Taiwan’s defense ministry called the drills “an irrational move to challenge the international order.”

And the island’s Mainland Affairs Council, which sets the government’s China policy, accused Beijing of “vicious intimidation.”

Beijing cannot afford to be seen as toothless after stepping up rhetoric ahead of Pelosi’s arrival, analysts have said.

“It will be imperative for the Chinese regime to underscore its nationalist credentials to its home audience,” said James Char, an associate research fellow at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.

“Beijing cannot be considered weak by its own people.”

China also imposed restrictions on importing fruit and fish from Taiwan on Wednesday.

Customs officials said they were suspending some citrus imports over alleged “repeated” evidence of excessive pesticide residues.

It also banned imports of certain fish from the island and highlighted the detection of the coronavirus on packages.

The bans came a day after the Taipei Agriculture Council said China had alleged rule violations in suspending imports of Taiwanese goods, including fishery products, tea and honey.

It’s not the first time Beijing has targeted Taiwan’s agricultural products — in March 2021 it banned the import of pineapples, citing pest detections. However, the move was widely seen as politically driven.

The moves are part of a “usual pattern for Beijing,” said Even Pay, an agriculture analyst at consultancy Trivium China.

More disruptions to agricultural and food trade are expected in the coming days, she added.

“When diplomatic or trade tensions are high, Chinese regulators tend to be extremely tough to ensure compliance… and look for issues that can be used to justify a trade ban,” she told AFP.

China’s Commerce Ministry said in a separate statement that it would “suspend natural sand exports to Taiwan” from Wednesday, without giving details.

Natural sand is commonly used to make concrete and asphalt, and most of Taiwan’s imported sand and gravel comes from China.

Beijing has increased pressure on Taiwan since President Tsai Ing-wen took office in 2016, as it views the island as a de facto sovereign nation rather than part of “one China”.

The Chinese State Council’s Office of Taiwan Affairs said Wednesday it would punish two Taiwanese organizations with close ties to “hard-core” secessionists — the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy and International Cooperation and Development Fund.

Companies that have donated to the groups, such as Speedtech Energy and Hyweb Technology, will also be banned from collaborating with Chinese firms.