Beijing

Ahead of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's possible visit to Taiwan on Tuesday, Chinese Ambassador to ASEAN Deng Xijun said that Beijing will hold military exercises in the South China sea from August 2-6.

Maritime entry during the drill will be prohibited, the Chinese envoy said citing Hainan Maritime Safety Administration.

Pelosi is going to Taiwan to meet with government officials at the self-governed island that China threatens to forcefully overtake.

On Monday, China reiterated that it is keeping a close watch on the reports of Pelosi's planned visit and warned of a resolute response and strong counter-measure if she insists on going ahead with the visit to Taipei.

Meanwhile, the White House said that Pelosi has the right to visit Taiwan.

The US official added that Defense Department officials are working around the clock on monitoring any Chinese movements in the region and securing a plan to keep her safe.

Back in April, Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan had been postponed after she tested positive for COVID-19.

At that time, Beijing had resolutely opposed any official exchange between the United States and Taiwan and stressed that the US should abide

China claims almost all of the South China Sea as its sovereign territory.

In January this year, US State Department had released a study on South China Sea claims challenging many of Beijing's assertions in the strategically important region.

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Last week, during a two hour long telephonic conversation with US President Joe Biden, Chinese Premier Xi Jinping warned the US not to pay with fire over Taiwan.