With tensions running high over a potential visit to Taiwan by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who-said-what misinformation is spreading on social media.

"China threatens to shoot Nancy Pelosi’s plane down if she visits Taiwan," says a July 31 post on Instagram. It was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)

The statement did not originate with China’s government. It was tweeted by Hu Xijin, former chief editor of and now a commentator for the Global Times, a Chinese nationalist newspaper. He later deleted the tweet after Twitter blocked his account.

Pelosi has said her multicountry trip to Asia might include a stop in Taiwan, to show support for the self-governing island that China views as its territory. Her potential visit comes amid worries about Chinese aggression against Taiwan and as Russia’s war against Ukraine continues.

China has strenuously warned against such a visit, and said its military would "not sit idly by" if it were to happen, Reuters reported Aug. 1. On July 31, as The New York Times reported, a Chinese air force spokesman, without specifying dates, said his country’s "fighter jets would fly around Taiwan to demonstrate its ability to defend its territory."