With a visit to Taiwan, the Speaker of the US Parliament, Nancy Pelosi, unleashed a series of military threats from China. Shortly before Pelosi’s arrival in Taipei, Beijing sent several fighter jets across the Taiwan Strait. According to Taipei, 21 Chinese fighter jets entered Taiwan’s airspace. The Chinese Defense Ministry threatened “targeted military action” and announced several military maneuvers around the island.
China: “Playing with Fire”
“Whoever plays with fire will die,” the ministry in Beijing said. He echoed the statement made by Chinese head of state and party leader Xi Jinping in a phone call to US President Joe Biden last week. The Chinese Ministry of Defense announced target-shooting maneuvers in six maritime areas around Taiwan. The military exercises are scheduled to start on Tuesday and last until Sunday, state television reported. Shortly before Pelosi’s arrival, the agency reported that Chinese SU-35 fighter jets were flying through the Taiwan Strait.
The maneuvers served as “a serious deterrent to the recent escalation of negative US moves on the Taiwan issue and a stern warning to pro-independence forces seeking secession,” the spokesman said. It is about repelling “interference by foreign forces and separatist attempts by independence forces in Taiwan”.
Pelosi: “Visit does not change China’s policy”
Pelosi pledged continued US support for Taiwan upon arrival. Her visit underscores the “United States’ unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwan’s vibrant democracy,” the Democrat said after arriving in the capital, Taipei. “America’s solidarity with Taiwan’s 23 million people is more important now than ever before as the world faces a choice between autocracy and democracy.” The 82-year-old stressed that her visit would not change the United States’ previous policy towards China.
Pelosi is the most senior US politician to visit Taiwan in 25 years. In Taipei, the visit was seen as a setback for Beijing, which is trying to isolate Taiwan internationally. Pelosi wanted to meet Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen on Wednesday, and nominations in parliament were also planned. Pelosi’s plane, according to media reports, detoured around the South China Sea, which is largely controlled by China, en route to Malaysia to fly east from the Philippines to Taiwan.
Taiwanese lawmakers from various parties welcomed the 82-year-old man. Kuomintang lawmaker Chen Yi-hsin said he hoped Beijing would not “overreact”. Pelosi represents Congress and the people of the United States, but not US President Joe Biden, he told CNA. His visit is not a change in the US “one China policy”, which recognizes Beijing as China’s only legitimate government.
The ruling Progress Party (DPP) lawmaker Wang Tingyu expects Beijing to take some “disruptive actions”. However, he does not expect a reaction that could trigger a conflict with the US. Taiwan Human Rights Association general secretary Shih Yi-hsiang sees the visit as a “signal that we must deepen democracy and human rights and oppose the Chinese Communist Party’s authoritarianism.”
Indo-Pacific visit
According to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, “Reaffirming America’s strong and unshakable commitment to our allies and friends in the region” was the goal with which the US delegation left for the Indo-Pacific. Stops will be made in Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan to address issues such as trade or climate policy.
A Taiwanese lawmaker confirmed to the German press agency in Taipei from media reports in the United States and Taiwan that Pelosi could arrive in Taipei on Tuesday evening local time from Malaysia as part of her Asia trip. There may be a meeting with President Tsai Ingwen on Wednesday. According to US media reports, however, the travel plan is under way, while the Pentagon is monitoring all measures taken by the Chinese side and working “uninterruptedly” to ensure the safety of the number three in the United States, he said. . Either way, it would be the highest-profile visit by a US politician to Taiwan, which the Communist leadership in Beijing sees as part of the People’s Republic of China, in a quarter of a century.
Threatened to send armed forces
Such a visit would be a delicate undertaking, as China views the island as part of its national territory and now threatens “serious consequences” and “strong countermeasures”. The Defense Ministry in Taipei said on Tuesday that if tensions escalate, appropriate forces will be deployed in response to “enemy threats”. China’s head of state and party leader Xi Jinping warned US President Joe Biden in a phone call last Thursday before the visit: “Those who play with fire will perish.”
visit would be “flagrant interference”
On his first stop in Singapore, Pelosi was invited by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to “keep relations with China stable”. This is crucial “to maintain peace and security in the region”.
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian told reporters in Beijing on Monday that such a visit would be “flagrant interference in China’s internal affairs”. “The Chinese side is fully prepared for any eventuality,” Zhao said of speculation that Pelosi could also visit Taiwan as part of her Asian trip this week. “The People’s Liberation Army will not stand by, and the Chinese side will certainly take vigorous and decisive measures to protect our sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
The top US politician is also likely to meet with deputy speaker of parliament Tsai Chi-chang and members of the legislative council in Taipei, the Taiwanese lawmaker told dpa. Parliament Speaker You Shyi-kun was stopped because he was in quarantine after a trip abroad.
China is flexing its muscles
According to sources, China is already flexing its muscles. Several Chinese warplanes were seen near the border line in the sensitive Taiwan Strait on Tuesday morning, a person familiar with the matter told Portal on Tuesday. Several Chinese warships have also been patrolling near the unofficial buffer zone in the strait since Monday. Both Chinese warships and planes touched the waterway’s centerline. The maneuver is unusual and “very provocative”. Taiwan sent planes to monitor the situation.
“Will ensure your safety”
Meanwhile, US Defense Department spokesman John Kirby said Pelosi would receive the protection she needed when she visited Taiwan. “Let’s ensure their safety,” he said. Regarding Chinese reactions, Kirby said, “We must not let this intimidate us as a nation. We will do everything we can to support the speaker.” Experts had previously questioned the strategic benefit of a visit, and other US partners were also concerned.
a test by fire
The relationship between the two world powers has been extremely tense for months. Reports of disputes have continued to pile up, most recently there have been differences even off-planet when NASA chief Bill Nelson accused the Chinese space agency of “irresponsible action” following the uncontrolled fall of a rocket. From Beijing’s perspective, however, two important events are imminent. On the one hand, today is the 95th anniversary of the founding of the “People’s Liberation Army”, on the other hand, the congress of the ruling communist party is scheduled for the autumn. In view of these symbolic events, it seems highly unlikely that China will cave on territorial issues.
In an earlier phone call, President Xi Jinping had warned Biden against interfering in the Taiwan issue. “Anyone who plays with fire will end up getting burned,” he said, according to the state news agency. Now, Pelosi’s visit could fuel the fire.