Taiwan

2022 - 8 - 1

Nancy Pelosi Nancy Pelosi

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Pelosi expected to visit Taiwan, Taiwanese and US officials say ... (CNN)

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is expected to visit Taiwan as part of her tour of Asia, according to a senior Taiwanese government official and a US official ...

But on the other hand, you could say maybe that's when Taiwan also needs to be shown the strength and the support." In 1991, Pelosi unfurled a black-and-white banner in Beijing's Tiananmen Square to commemorate victims of the 1989 massacre, which said, "To those who died for democracy." "On the Taiwan question, we have made our stance loud and clear," Pengyu said. Asked if the US was prepared for fallout with China over the visit, Kirby said that "there is no change to our policy. Officials also believe the Chinese leadership doesn't completely grasp the political dynamics in the United States, leading to a misunderstanding over the significance of Pelosi's potential visit. "And so if the speaker does decide to visit and China tries to create some kind of crisis or otherwise escalate tensions, that would be entirely on Beijing," Blinken said. This is an important trip for the speaker to be on and we're going to do whatever we can to support her," Kirby continued. Administration officials are concerned Pelosi's trip comes at a particularly tense moment, as Xi is expected to seek an unprecedented third term at the upcoming Chinese Communist Party congress. Biden said last month that the US military opposed Pelosi visiting Taiwan, though since then has refused to elaborate on the warnings. "Congress is an independent, coequal branch of government," Blinken said at the United Nations on Monday afternoon. "We would like to tell the US once again that China is standing by, and the Chinese People's Liberation Army will never sit idly by. Though China's military did not mention Taiwan, the People's Liberation Army's Eastern Theater Command said it would "bury incoming enemies" in a video posted online Monday showing off its weaponry and fighting tactics.

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Pelosi heads to Taiwan this week despite warnings from Xi and Biden (Politico)

Speaker Nancy Pelosi is scheduled to travel to Taiwan this week, according to a congressional official and a Taiwanese official familiar with the itinerary.

Biden himself had said the military “thinks it’s not a good idea right now” for Pelosi to travel to the island. American and Taiwanese figures have grown bolder about showing their support for the relationship, rankling China in the process. Monday also marks the People’s Liberation Army’s 95th birthday, a time when exercises normally ramp up to mark the occasion. Pelosi has been among the most consistent China hawks over the last three decades, even taking on her own party when it comes to the threat Beijing poses to U.S. security and economic interests. Meanwhile, in Washington, fears have grown in recent months that Xi plans to invade the island. Pelosi was in Singapore on Monday as part of a four-country swing through Asia. She is also scheduled to visit Malaysia, South Korea and Japan during the trip. POLITICO is withholding the date of Pelosi’s expected arrival. The Japan-based USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier has been patrolling the South China Sea for the past week, and late last month, the destroyer USS Benfold transited the Taiwan Strait three times within a week — a move Beijing blasted as a “provocation” as it considers the narrow waterway between mainland China and Taiwan part of its internal waters. And China’s aggression has led current and former officials, including lawmakers from both parties, to push for a wholesale change in America’s posture toward Taiwan, including the scrapping of the so-called “strategic ambiguity” doctrine that has guided U.S. policy toward Taiwan for the past four decades. Bi-khim Hsiao, the democratic island’s de facto representative to the U.S., attended Biden’s inauguration. The trip would make her the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit the self-governing island in decades. The speaker is the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit in decades.

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U.S. Warns China Not to Turn Pelosi's Expected Trip to Taiwan Into ... (The New York Times)

Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a longtime China hawk, has not confirmed that she plans to visit Taiwan, but all indications suggest that she will make a stop on the ...

He might not want to be in the air if / when Pelosi lands in Taiwan. “We would like to tell the US once again that China is standing by, and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army will never sit idly by. The decision is entirely the Speaker’s. What I can say is this: this is very much precedent in the sense that previous speakers visited Taiwan. Many members of Congress go to Taiwan, including this year. With regard to Taiwan, first, the Speaker will make her own decisions about whether or not to visit Taiwan. Congress is an independent, coequal branch of government. Mr. Kirby also stressed repeatedly that the United States still subscribed to its one-China policy of not recognizing independence for Taiwan. She originally planned to visit Taiwan in April but called off that trip after testing positive for the coronavirus. “It does increase the risk of miscalculation, which could lead to unintended consequences,” Mr. Kirby said. Mr. Kirby did not say whether American intelligence agencies had detected any concrete indications of Chinese actions, but he was unusually specific in outlining the possible responses that the United States anticipated. “It’s not new. Nothing about this potential visit — potential visit — which by the way has precedent, would change the status quo.” “We’ve laid out very clearly if she goes — if she goes — it’s not without precedent,” he said. Ms. Pelosi, a longtime China hawk, has not confirmed that she plans to visit Taiwan even as she stopped in Singapore on Monday, but all indications suggest that she will make a stop on the self-governing island without prior announcement.

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White House Urges Calm in Beijing Over Pelosi's Taiwan Visit (Bloomberg)

The White House urged China not to escalate tensions with the US in response to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's expected visit to Taiwan, signaling the Biden ...

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White House warns China not to overreact to potential Pelosi visit to ... (The Washington Post)

The White House warned Monday that a potential visit to Taiwan by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) could prompt China to take significant inflammatory ...

Increased engagement between U.S. officials and Taipei has led Beijing to worry that Washington has taken steps to change the status quo. Beijing has repeatedly said it will use force if necessary to “reunify” Taiwan and its 23 million people with the motherland. Police chased Pelosi and the lawmakers traveling with her out of the square. The White House official said Sullivan was not more concerned than others, and like other officials agreed it was Pelosi’s decision whether she wanted to go. Meanwhile, Beijing has warned that it would retaliate if she visits, and an official Chinese statement warned the Biden administration against “playing with fire” on Taiwan. Pelosi is a longtime critic of Beijing and has been vilified by China’s leaders in the past. All of the senior members of Biden’s national security team thought there were concerns about the timing of the trip, said a White House official, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. Pelosi would be the first House speaker to travel to the self-governed democratic island since Rep. Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) in 1997. As for Beijing, he added, “What we would hope they infer from everything we’ve done, and everything we’ve said, including during the president’s phone call, is that we’re being consistent.” Or, he said, it could carry out operations that “break historical norms” such as sending larger numbers of military jets across the midpoint separating Taiwan from mainland China. “I think we’ll see more actions over the next several months.” Kirby did not confirm that Pelosi plans to stop in Taiwan, but his extensive comments to reporters suggested the White House is positioning itself for such a visit.

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US says Beijing has no reason to turn Pelosi's expected Taiwan visit ... (The Guardian)

National security council says speaker has 'right to visit' after China warns its military would 'not sit idly by'. Nancy Pelosi, the US House speaker.

China’s spokesperson, Zhao Lijian, said that because of Pelosi’s status as the “No 3 official of the US government”, a visit to Taiwan would “lead to egregious political impact”. Pelosi’s expected visit illustrates how difficult it is to strike a good strategic balance.” The Maritime Safety Administration warned ships to avoid the area. Beijing, which claims the self-governing island as its own province, has made clear it would see such a move as an unacceptable provocation. A few hours later, China’s Maritime Safety Administration announced yet another series of military exercises in the South China Sea from 2 August to 6 August. Taiwan’s government has not publicly commented on the reports.

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Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan risks upsetting Beijing to no advantage (The Guardian)

Analysis: House Speaker's arrival is likely to inflame relations between the US and China without making Taiwan safer.

This suspicion will be deepened by Monday’s report that a high-profile delegation of British MPs is also planning on a visit to Taipei later this year. In Beijing’s perspective, Pelosi’s visit is a “provocation” that will lead to further distrust of Washington in the long term. Undoubtedly, China’s military capabilities today far exceed those of 26 years ago – although are still far behind that of the US.

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Pelosi Taiwan trip overrides Chinese military threats (Politico)

Military and diplomatic efforts limit Beijing to angry bluster. Nancy Pelosi reacts after signing the CHIPS For America Act during a bill enrollment ceremony ...

“I do think there will be some form of retaliation,” Fritz said. “PLA Air Force aircraft [could shadow] her flight into or out of Taiwan…but there wouldn’t be any interaction,” Murrett said. That rhetoric reflects the Chinese government’s efforts to push back on long-established standards of U.S. engagement with the self-governing island. “Part of our responsibilities is to make sure that she can travel freely and securely and I can assure you that she will,” National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said Monday, without elaborating. That tough-on-Taiwan policy is key to Xi’s credibility as he seeks an unprecedented third term as China’s leader this fall. Beijing has strongly protested Pelosi’s Taiwan visit and issued lurid warnings of a stern Chinese response. But the PLA is expected to flex some muscle in the Taiwan Strait — something that Chinese state media can trumpet as a symbol of Xi’s iron resolve — and which projects power over Taiwan without risking military confrontation. “The fairly aggressive statements we’ve had from China over the past few weeks are probably more for domestic than international [consumption] — the Chinese leadership cannot be seen as backing down in any shape or form,” said Ret. Vice Adm. Robert B. Murrett, professor of practice at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School. “President Xi can’t be seen as backing down from what could be viewed as a challenge by the speaker’s visit to Taiwan and at the same time, politically, the Congress and the [Biden] administration can’t be viewed as backing down, either.” U.S. congressional delegation visits to Taiwan are routine and U.S. law — the 2018 Taiwan Travel Act — authorizes “officials at all levels of the United States government … to meet their Taiwanese counterparts.” But the Chinese Communist Party considers “ reunification with Taiwan,” a territory that the CCP has never ruled, a “historical task.” And Chinese President Xi Jinping has ramped up pressure on the island with a relentless campaign of hostility since the 2016 election of Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen of the pro-independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party. “In advance of her arrival in Taiwan, the U.S. will relay detailed information about Speaker Pelosi’s flight plans to China’s military,” said Craig Singleton, senior China fellow at the nonprofit Foundation for Defense of Democracies. “U.S. officials will also message, publicly, and privately, the trip’s very limited goals and Washington’s continued adherence to its ‘One China’ policy … [and] work to shape and downplay the media coverage surrounding the trip.” “A visit to Taiwan by her would constitute a gross interference in China’s internal affairs ... and lead to a very serious situation and grave consequences,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said Monday.

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What's at stake with a Pelosi visit to Taiwan (The Washington Post)

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's arrival would mark the most significant visit of a U.S. official to Taiwan in a quarter-century. But in Beijing's eyes, ...

Taiwan was at the heart of a testy phone call between Biden and Xi at the end of last week. “Had Pelosi not said she was going to Taiwan in the first place, no one would be suggesting she needed to go in order bolster American credibility in Asia,” left-leaning commentator Peter Beinart wrote. The most enthusiastic U.S. supporters of a Pelosi visit to Taiwan include hawkish former Trump administration officials. “Officials and analysts increasingly are competing to forecast when conflict could break out, not whether it will occur.” “There are also significant U.S. naval assets in the region at the moment.” Amid growing bipartisan support for a tighter U.S. embrace of Taiwan, Pelosi’s arrival would mark the most significant visit of a U.S. official to Taiwan in a quarter-century. But in Beijing’s eyes, it’s a dangerous provocation and an infringement of its “territorial integrity.” But that’s not how China will interpret the occasion. Experts have a rough sense of what those countermeasures may be. Whatever the case, the prospect of the third-most senior figure in U.S. government visiting the world’s only Chinese-speaking democracy has roiled Asia’s already choppy geopolitical waters. The United States, meanwhile, has in practice shifted steadily away from its official policy of “strategic ambiguity” over whether it would come to Taiwan’s defense. You’re reading an excerpt from the Today’s WorldView newsletter.

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Pelosi's Planned Taiwan Visit Leaves China Angry, Washington on ... (Foreign Policy)

After weeks of mounting speculation, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is set to visit Taiwan this week during her trip through Asia, prompting a caustic ...

“It would be humiliating for her personally and it would be humiliating for the U.S. Congress and government” if Pelosi did not make the trip, said Ian Easton, a research fellow at the Project 2049 Institute, a Virginia-based think tank. “There is no reason from the perspective of this administration why China needs to react so strongly to a member of Congress visiting Taiwan.” (Officially, U.S. policy leaves room for “strategic ambiguity” in the event of an attack.) “It’s likely that Taipei will bear the brunt of any countermeasures,” she said. “When she goes, I think it will be an instance of the United States showing solidarity and support for a fellow democracy that faces a very profound and very dangerous campaign of coercion.” China has since grown more assertive with regards to Taiwan, particularly under the leadership of Chinese President Xi Jinping, who has vowed to bring the independently governed island back under Beijing’s control. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said during a visit to Brazil last month that he had spoken to Pelosi personally and provided the House speaker with his views on the security situation. China has since grown more assertive with regards to Taiwan, particularly under the leadership of Chinese President Xi Jinping, who has vowed to bring the independently governed island back under Beijing’s control. During the Biden administration, congressional delegations and former senior U.S. officials have been making routine visits to the island. The White House has insisted that China’s brouhaha is far out of scope for a relatively common visit. “They’re just more interested in showing force and some resolve.” “There is no reason for the Chinese rhetoric,” Kirby told CNN on Monday. Kirby added, “It is not uncommon for congressional leaders to travel to Taiwan.”

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Nancy Pelosi's Planned Trip to Taiwan Enrages SF Anti-War Activists (The San Francisco Standard)

A coalition of Chinese Americans and anti-war activists accused the House speaker of picking a fight instead of delivering for her district.

She’s going with the flow, going with pushing U.S. hegemony to contain China. For what? But people really need her to focus on our needs here.” China.” Josh Koehn / The Standard “I mean, she’s made fun of Trump on our behalf. Josh Koehn / The Standard

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China-U.S. Tensions Escalate Over Nancy Pelosi's Taiwan Visit ... (The Wall Street Journal)

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, second in line to the presidency, is making the highest-level trip in 25 years by a U.S. government official to Taiwan, ...

Mrs. Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan would heighten geopolitical tensions, presenting another risk for global investors, warned OCBC Research in a note this week.

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Pelosi arrives in Malaysia as tensions rise over possible Taiwan visit (NPR)

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived in Malaysia on Tuesday for the second leg of an Asian tour that has been overshadowed by an ...

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China could make show of force if Pelosi visits Taiwan - US (BBC News)

US officials say China may fire missiles near Taiwan if top lawmaker Nancy Pelosi visits the island.

She has previously met pro-democracy dissidents and visited Tiananmen Square to commemorate victims of the 1989 massacre. There is no drama to talk to. On Monday, China's United Nations envoy Zhang Jun warned the visit would undermine relations between Beijing and Washington, Reuters news agency reported.

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Taiwan and China step up military rhetoric as expected Pelosi visit ... (The Guardian)

US House speaker is expected to arrive in Taiwan on Tuesday in a controversial visit likely to increase tensions between Beijing and Washington.

In a lengthy phone call last week, China’s president Xi Jinping warned US president Joe Biden against “playing with fire” over Taiwan, while officials have repeatedly said the PLA would not “stand idly by” over the visit. The CCP strongly objects to foreign shows of support for what it says is a “separatist” government in Taiwan, especially from the US. He noted visits by previous speakers and other members of Congress to Taiwan, and urged calm from China. “A visit to Taiwan by her would constitute a gross interference in China’s internal affairs, seriously undermine China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, wantonly trample on the one-China principle,” he said. Taiwan, whose government has refused to comment on the visit, often welcomes foreign delegations as it seeks to grow its international relationships. Multiple media reports have said Pelosi will land in Taipei on Tuesday night and meet Taiwan’s president on Wednesday, as an unofficial stop during her Asia tour.

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Taiwan braces for Chinese show of force, with Pelosi set to visit (The Washington Post)

TAIPEI, Taiwan — The Chinese and Taiwanese militaries dispatched fighter jets, ordered military exercises and bolstered combat readiness as Taiwan prepared ...

“Tonight we call it fried chicken of democracy,” he said of his plan to hand out 100 portions. Lam said he was invited to attend an event Wednesday with the American Institute in Taiwan, the de facto U.S. Embassy, but was not told whether Pelosi would be there. “Pelosi’s visit now has a very different meaning,” said Chu Shulong, professor of political science and international relations at Tsinghua University, comparing Pelosi’s trip to Gingrich’s visit. “Taiwan will be the biggest winner. In the last Taiwan Strait crisis in 1995-1996, China sent missiles that landed near Taiwan. Pelosi would be the first House speaker to travel to Taiwan since Rep. Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) in 1997. “The United States should and must take full responsibility for this,” she said. Chinese leader Xi Jinping has pledged to “reunify” Taiwan with China by force if necessary. Chinese maritime authorities, meanwhile, announced additional military exercises in the South China Sea and live-fire drills in the Bohai Sea, near the Korean Peninsula, this week. China banned food shipments on Monday from more than 100 Taiwanese exporters. Taiwanese media outlets reported that Pelosi was expected to meet with President Tsai Ing-wen, lawmakers and human rights activists on Wednesday. The impending visit has drawn outrage from China, which for years has sought to diplomatically isolate Taiwan and views such exchanges with high-level foreign dignitaries as support for the island’s formal independence.

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Pelosi to Visit Taiwan as China Threatens Military Action (Bloomberg)

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is expected to land in Taiwan on Tuesday evening in defiance of Chinese threats, a trip that would make her the ...

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Pelosi's expected Taiwan visit risks creating greater instability ... (CNN)

Neither the United States nor China has overt interests in their budding superpower rivalry boiling over into open military clashes despite soaring tensions ...

The assumption in Washington is that Xi has no more interest in a direct military showdown than Biden does. Some analysts say such a shift could not only risk dragging the United States into a war in the Pacific against China that Americans are not prepared for, but that it could also make Beijing even more aggressive. And there is a strongly nationalist streak within the Chinese military along with growing confidence about its capacity. The United States recognizes the People's Republic of China on the mainland as the sole legitimate government of China and doesn't regard Taiwan as a country. Biden has reorganized US foreign policy around the principle of countering China's growing might in Asia and further afield. Thirty years ago, Washington hoped that by encouraging then-reclusive China into the global economy it could promote political liberalization and usher it into the Western-oriented global economic and political system. And his government's questionable handling of the Covid-19 pandemic -- mass lockdowns are still common in Chinese cities -- and a slowing economy, mean Xi could be tempted into a nationalistic stand to mask domestic liabilities. The island is viewed by Beijing as a rightful part of its territory. Pelosi is also a symbol of democracy -- a way of life that Taipei is desperate to preserve under China's authoritarian shadow. Xi built his power base on aggressive nationalism and the idea that Taiwan's destiny is "reunification" with the mainland. Most of its options -- following a barrage of threats and propaganda that have raised expectations for its riposte -- are quite alarming. It would be unpalatable for Pelosi, following a political career partly defined by standing up to China, to give up on her plan.

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A New Axis? (The New York Times)

With tensions rising in Taiwan, we look at the shared interests of China, Russia and Iran.

But the shift toward authentic casting also brings a potential downside for women and marginalized groups, who may be kept from playing some of “the greatest, meatiest roles in the repertory,” Marc writes. But the three countries also have one overarching shared goal: reducing the geopolitical influence of the U.S., Western Europe, Japan and their allies. Woods declined and has since denounced the Saudi-backed upstart league. The trade machine whirs: M.L.B. teams set a frenzied pace as a trade deadline looms. None of this means that a coordinated campaign of aggression from China, Russia and Iran will necessarily happen in coming months. Each time, the U.S. avoided major confrontation, partly out of a worry that it could spark a larger war. “If they enter into Taiwan’s territorial airspace, an incident could happen, whether Xi wants one or not,” Bonnie Glaser, the director of the Asia Program at the German Marshall Fund of the U.S., told The Times. China has become more aggressive toward Taiwan, and U.S. officials have grown concerned about the possibility of an invasion in coming years. But the risks of a confrontational approach are also real. A visit, said my colleague Amy Qin, who is based in Taiwan, “boosts Taiwan’s legitimacy on the international stage.” “Nothing about this potential visit — potential visit — which oh, by the way, has precedent, would change the status quo.” Like Russia, both China and Iran view the U.S. as an adversary.

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Pelosi has landed in Taiwan. Here's why that's a big deal (NPR)

The island democracy governs itself, but China claims it as its territory. Rumors of Pelosi's visit launched a geopolitical firestorm amid escalating tensions ...

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Nancy Pelosi Arrives in Taiwan, Raising Tensions With China: Live ... (The New York Times)

The trip, the highest-level U.S. visit to the island since 1997, takes place in the face of serious objections from Beijing.

Before that meeting, Mr. Xi will be keen to project an image of strength at home and abroad, particularly on the question of Taiwan. And in the past year, Chinese military planes have increasingly probed the airspace near Taiwan, prompting Taiwanese fighter jets to scramble. The site was attacked around 5 p.m., according to the statement, several hours before Ms. Pelosi’s landing. “It provokes the situation, leads to more tensions.” In a statement released shortly after her arrival, Ms. Pelosi said the visit was a sign of America’s “unwavering commitment” to supporting Taiwan’s democracy. Its foreign minister, Sergey V. Lavrov, told reporters, “Our position on the existence of only one China remains unchanged.” We are also committed now, more than ever, to all elements of the Taiwan Relations Act.” In recent years, China has lured away several nations that recognize Taiwan as a country and cut it off from major international agencies like the World Health Organization. She is also scheduled to attend a banquet at Taipei Guest House and visit the National Human Rights Museum. He said he was most worried about the military response from mainland China — in particular, what China might do after Ms. Pelosi leaves. In Taiwan, many are inured to threats from China, which claims the island as its own territory. A video provided by a Tibetan activist, Tashi Tsering, showed people on Tuesday night gathering outside the Grand Hyatt Taipei, where Ms. Pelosi was expected to spend the night.

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China sends warships to surround Taiwan amid Pelosi visit (Politico)

The Pentagon has deployed four U.S. warships, including an aircraft carrier, in waters east of Taiwan.

The White House said Monday that it has no interest in escalating tensions with China and that it “will not take the bait or engage in saber rattling.” She also opposed China’s bid to host the 2008 Olympics and supported the 2019 pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. What we have said is that there is no reason that this visit should escalate tensions in any way whatsoever,” National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends” Tuesday morning. Pelosi’s arrival in Taipei on Tuesday evening confirmed the speaker’s decision to go ahead with her visit — which had been reported on for weeks without official confirmation from her office — despite China’s threats. Local newspapers first reported that Pelosi would arrive in Taiwan Tuesday night and that she would spend the night there. The carrier, the USS Ronald Reagan, is positioned far from Taiwan, according to one U.S. official. Experts raised alarms over the exercise, with some noting that the drills would overlap with Taiwan’s territorial waters. The House speaker said in her Tuesday statement that the delegation’s discussions with Taiwan’s leaders “will focus on our support for our partner and on promoting our shared interests, including advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific region.” She also asserted that the visit “in no way contradicts longstanding United States policy.” In a Washington Post op-ed published just after her arrival in Taiwan, Pelosi wrote that the U.S. must stand by its vow in the Taiwan Relations Act — signed into law by President Jimmy Carter — to support the self-defense of Taiwan. She said the island republic is “under threat” by Beijing and that China has “dramatically intensified tensions with Taiwan” in recent years by ramping up military patrols and launching cyberattacks on Taiwanese government agencies. “We don’t support Taiwan independence, but we absolutely do support the right and the prerogative of congressional leaders to include Speaker Pelosi to visit Taiwan if that’s what she wants to do,” Kirby said on CNN after Pelosi touched down in Taiwan on Tuesday. Biden administration officials have also emphasized in recent days that the United States official position on Taiwan remains unchanged and that Pelosi would be one of many members of Congress that have visited Taiwan over the past few years. The Pentagon earlier Tuesday deployed four U.S. warships, including an aircraft carrier, in waters east of Taiwan on what the U.S. Navy said were routine deployments.

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US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi lands in Taiwan amid threats of ... (CNN International)

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi landed in Taipei on Tuesday, marking a significant show of support for Taiwan despite China's threats of retaliation over the ...

"We support Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi's trip to Taiwan," the Republicans said. Pelosi's stop in Taiwan was not listed on the itinerary of her congressional visit to Asia, but the stop had been discussed for weeks in the lead up to her trip. "It's been unseemly and counterproductive for President Biden and his aides to have publicly sought to deter her from doing so," the Kentucky Republican said. We are friends with the US and Japan, and we don't have to be on bad terms with China," Ko said in a statement. She also helped display a black-and-white banner in Beijing's Tiananmen Square two years after the 1989 massacre, and in recent years she's voiced support for the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. Administration officials are concerned that Pelosi's trip comes at a particularly tense moment, as Xi is expected to seek an unprecedented third term at the upcoming Chinese Communist Party congress. "It gravely undermines peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and sends a seriously wrong signal to the separatist forces for 'Taiwan independence,' " China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. Pelosi is expected to depart Taiwan later on Wednesday, according to a news release issued by the foreign ministry. "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." Pelosi's stop in Taipei is the first time that a US House speaker has visited Taiwan in 25 years. "Again, there's no reason for this to erupt in to conflict. "Obviously, we're going to be watching this closely.

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Taiwan: Nancy Pelosi trip labelled as 'extremely dangerous' by Beijing (BBC News)

The highest-ranking US politician to visit Taiwan in 25 years arrives despite warnings from China.

Yet she is also a long-standing critic of Beijing. This is absolutely consistent with it." is under threat". As Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Ms Pelosi is second in line for the US presidency after the vice-president. In her statement, Ms Pelosi said: "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." It accused Ms Pelosi, the most senior US politician in 25 years to visit the island China claims as its own, of "playing with fire".

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What 3 past Taiwan Strait crises can teach us about U.S.-China ... (NPR)

Both the U.S. and China stepped up military activity in the region ahead of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's Taiwan visit. Here's what is different now from ...

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US House Speaker Pelosi to Meet Taiwan Chief as China Opens ... (Bloomberg)

Pelosi says visit shows 'unwavering' US commitment to Taiwan · China says it's begun series of military drills near island.

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Pelosi Lands in Taiwan, Voicing 'Solidarity' and Defying China (The San Francisco Standard)

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday in a closely watched and hotly debated visit to the politically contested island.

Pelosi cited China’s ramp-up of military aircraft near Taiwan and cyberattacks on Taiwanese government agencies that she described as a possible precursor to an invasion of the island. We do always strive for a peaceful resolution, and hopefully that continues on with with more direct lines for conversation rather than threats,” said Tzou. Pelosi is the first high-ranking U.S. official to visit Taiwan since then-House Speaker Newt Gingrich traveled there in 1997. A small group of counter-protesters accused the larger anti-war group of supporting China’s communist government. The U.S. has long acknowledged—but not endorsed—that policy. US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, right, being welcomed by Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu, left, after landing at Songshan Airport in Taipei, Taiwan on August 2, 2022.

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Live updates: Nancy Pelosi in Taiwan as China says House speaker ... (The Washington Post)

TAIPEI, Taiwan — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is expected to meet Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and other lawmakers Wednesday, defying threats ...

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Tuesday at a meeting in Shanghai that U.S. politicians “playing with fire” on the issue of Taiwan would “come to no good end,” according to a transcript released by the Foreign Ministry. At the same time, we will not engage in saber-rattling.” China’s claims over Taiwan form a core part of the ideology of the ruling Communist Party. Beijing sees official visits by high-ranking foreigners as lending support to pro-independence camps and giving credence to the idea of Taiwan as a sovereign nation.

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Nancy Pelosi Arrives in Taiwan, Drawing a Sharp Response From ... (The New York Times)

China announced plans for live-fire military drills soon after Ms. Pelosi flew into Taiwan. Analysts said Beijing's move seemed designed to project strength ...

The Chinese community in San Francisco, which Ms. Pelosi represents, was outwardly very supportive of Taiwan from the 1950s until the early 1990s. And in the past year, Chinese military planes have increasingly probed the airspace near Taiwan, prompting Taiwanese fighter jets to scramble. Mr. Xi, who has led China since 2012, is expected to be confirmed to an unprecedented third term as leader at a Communist Party congress in the fall. It was not the first time he had done so, but White House officials have repeatedly walked back those statements, saying a longstanding policy of “strategic ambiguity” on the defense of Taiwan remains in place. “We must stand by Taiwan, which is an island of resilience,” Ms. Pelosi said in an opinion article published on the Washington Post website after she landed. But the speaker’s arrival was greeted with scorn by Chinese officials, who accused Ms. Pelosi of undermining China’s sovereignty. In a separate statement, China’s People’s Liberation Army said that it would begin a series of joint naval and air exercises that would include “long-range live firing in the Taiwan Strait.” “She’s a high-ranking official in the U.S. government. Ms. Pelosi’s refusal to be dissuaded from making the trip is in keeping with her decades-long efforts to hold China accountable for its actions. After a telephone call last week between President Biden and Xi Jinping, the president of China, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned Ms. Pelosi’s expected visit, saying that “playing with fire will set yourself on fire.” But Ms. Pelosi, a longtime China critic who visited Tiananmen Square two years after the Chinese military opened fire on student protesters there, was defiant. The Chinese have taken other countermeasures in response to Ms. Pelosi’s trip.

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Image courtesy of "CNN"

Pelosi praises Taiwan as 'one of the freest societies in the world' in ... (CNN)

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi praised Taiwan as "one of the freest societies in the world" on Wednesday morning local time in her first public remarks since ...

"And again, we come in friendship, we thank you for your leadership, we want the world to recognize that." Pelosi and the congressional delegation landed in Taipei on Tuesday, the first time in 25 years that a US House Speaker has visited Taiwan, a self-governing island, which China claims as part of its territory. Later Wednesday, Pelosi is expected to meet Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen.

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Image courtesy of "Bloomberg"

China Warns Airlines to Avoid Areas Near Taiwan as Tensions Rise (Bloomberg)

China warned airlines operating in Asia to avoid flying in areas around Taiwan where it is conducting military exercises in response to US House Speaker ...

An official notice was sent late on Tuesday Hong Kong time, designating six areas of airspace as “danger zones,” according to carriers who received the message and Jang Chang Seog, a Korean transport ministry official. China warned airlines operating in Asia to avoid flying in areas around Taiwan where it is conducting military exercises in response to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the island.

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Image courtesy of "CNN"

Questions mount over whether Pelosi's Taiwan trip is worth the ... (CNN)

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, center, arrives at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei, Taiwan, on Wednesday, August 3, 2022. (CNN) ...

Even talking about disrupting the Strait could send global markets plunging, exacerbating pain for Americans already struggling with the high cost of living in an inflation crisis that threatens to doom Democrats in the midterms. He warned provocations could include firing missiles in the Taiwan Strait or around Taiwan and large-scale breaches of Taiwan's air defense identification zone by warplanes. And Pelosi bookended a political career that saw her unfold a pro-democracy banner in Beijing in 1991 with an anti-Chinese Communist Party tour de force in Taiwan as fears grow China may eventually try to take the island by force. If Pelosi's visit accelerates Xi's urgency and resolve in seeking to take over Taiwan by military force, it will also have been counterproductive. A female political icon, she defied the all-male top echelons of the Chinese Communist leadership and refused to be bullied -- and sat down with another pioneering female leader, President Tsai. She made a stirring stand for democracy -- a core American value. Critical to global supply chains that are already under pressure following the Covid-19 pandemic, the Strait is traversed by much of the world's maritime container traffic. The US does not recognize Taiwan as a country. "This travel is consistent with the United States' One China policy to which we are committed. So if Pelosi's visit -- a personal rebuke to Chinese President Xi Jinping, who has made the takeover of Taiwan an existential quest -- permanently worsens already poor US-China relations and brings forward what some see as an inevitable superpower confrontation, it might turn out to be a massive miscalculation. While that may not be Pelosi's intention, misconceptions can drive military escalations in such a volatile foreign policy relationship. It is unfolding as a generational tussle between two civilizations keen to imprint their values, economic systems and strategic hegemony on the rest of the world. The imagery of the US House speaker bolstering a democracy under China's giant shadow could become one of the signature moments in US Asia-Pacific foreign policy.

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Image courtesy of "Axios"

China warns airlines to avoid airspace near Taiwan (Axios)

Taiwan accused Beijing of violating international law and Taipei's sovereignty due to China's live-fire military exercise plans.

Why it matters: Kirby did not confirm Pelosi's travel plans, but Taiwanese and international outlets have confirmed that she's expected to arrive on Tuesday night local time. U.S. expects military "provocations" from China if Pelosi visits Taiwan China says military "won't sit idly by" if Pelosi visits Taiwan

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Image courtesy of "NPR"

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says the U.S. will not abandon Taiwan ... (NPR)

TAIPEI, Taiwan — U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, meeting leaders in Taiwan despite warnings from China, said Wednesday that she and other members of ...

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Image courtesy of "Bloomberg"

China Hits Taiwan With Trade Curbs Amid Tensions Over Pelosi (Bloomberg)

Some fish, fruit imports suspended, sand exports banned · Bilateral 2021 trade between China, Taiwan at $328.3 billion.

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Image courtesy of "CNN"

Does Taiwan have its own airspace ? - CNN (CNN)

China is set to stage military drills around Taiwan from Thursday to Sunday to protest a visit by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taipei.

This has happened on numerous occasions when Chinese warplanes have entered Taiwan's air defense identification zone in recent years. But what is "international law?" Consequently, not all countries have an air defense identification zone. "Under that principle, then perhaps we decide that international law applies, in which case Taiwan's airspace extends to 12 miles beyond its baseline. "The reality is Taiwan exists. So for all intents and purposes, Taiwan is a country," Thompson said.

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Image courtesy of "CNN International"

Pelosi says US will 'not abandon' Taiwan as China plans military ... (CNN International)

During a historic trip to Taiwan Wednesday, US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said her visit was intended to make it "unequivocally clear" that the United ...

"We want Taiwan to always have freedom with security and we're not backing away from that." "We will firmly uphold our nation's sovereignty and continue to hold the line of defense for democracy. More recently, she has voiced support for the 2019 pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. Video showed some people shouting, "Pelosi, get out" and holding placards reading, "Taiwan doesn't want war." However, its previous bans on some Taiwanese products have often coincided with periods of escalating tensions. Pelosi's trip -- the first by a sitting US speaker in 25 years -- had been foreshadowed for days.

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