• Beijing plans military ops
By Agency Report
United House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has arrived in Taiwan, raising tensions between the U.S. and China over the island that China claims as its own.
The whole world was hooked onto a flight tracking site as U.S. plane SPAR19 departed for Taipei from Malaysia yesterday evening.
When the much-anticipated landing finally happened, Pelosi became the highest-ranking elected U.S. official to visit Taiwan in over 25 years. On the day of her visit, at least 21 Chinese military aircraft entered Taiwan’s air defence zone.
“Our congressional delegation’s visit to Taiwan honours America’s unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwan’s vibrant democracy,” Pelosi said in a statement shortly after landing.
“America’s solidarity with the 23 million people of Taiwan is more important today than ever, as the world faces a choice between autocracy and democracy.”
China immediately condemned Pelosi’s visit, with the foreign ministry saying it seriously damages peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, “has a severe impact on the political foundation of China-U.S. relations and seriously infringes upon China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
The ministry said it had lodged a strong protest with the United States.
Chinese warplanes buzzed the line dividing the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday before her arrival, and Chinese state media said the People’s Liberation Army would hold exercises near Taiwan from Thursday through Sunday.
China has also put its military on high alert and vowed a series of “targeted military actions” as countermeasures to Pelosi’s visit, according to Chinese media reports. It will conduct ‘important’ military exercises and training activities, including live-fire drills in six regions surrounding Taiwan from Thursday to Sunday.
China strongly condemned Pelosi’s visit and said her trip to the island violates the ‘one China’ principle. Beijing also asked the U.S. to stop playing the ‘Taiwan card’.
However, the most interesting thing about Pelosi’s journey to Taiwan was that the U.S. plane, with a delegation onboard, avoided the South China Sea and took a longer route to arrive in Taipei.
According to FlightRadar24, SPAR19 had flown over Indonesia and turned north, towards Taiwan, avoiding the contested South China Sea region, which China claims as its own.
When the U.S. plane carrying Pelosi entered Taiwan’s air defence zone, Taiwan fighter jets provided escort to the U.S. politician. At the same time, there were reports that Chinese jets had crossed the Taiwan Strait.
However, Taiwan’s defense ministry said Chinese state media reports about Su-35 fighter jets crossing the sensitive Taiwan Strait separating the island from China were false. The ministry said in a statement it had a full grasp of activities near Taiwan and would appropriately dispatch forces in reaction to “enemy threats.”
Earlier in the day, China had warned the U.S. that it would have to pay the price for Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.
“The United States constantly distorts, obscures and hollows out the ‘One China’ principle. These moves, like playing with fire, are extremely dangerous. Those who play with fire will perish by it,” the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement.
Taiwan and China split in 1949 after the Communists won a civil war on the mainland. The U.S. maintains informal relations and defence ties with Taiwan even as it recognises Beijing as the government of China.
