The Speaker of the House of Representatives lands on the island to “honor the United States’ commitment to democracy”
Nancy Pelosi is now on Taiwanese soil, the highest-ranking US politician to do so in a quarter century. A visit that the president of the House of Representatives, the third authority of the State, has characterized as a manifestation of her country’s commitment to democracy, and supposes a head-on collision between the established power and the emerging one. Once that unknown has been cleared up, in doubt since it was leaked to the international media two weeks ago, the next question lies in China’s reaction.
The Asian giant warned from the outset with “serious and resolute measures” in the face of what it considers a “violation of its national sovereignty”, to the point of threatening “disastrous consequences for the Taiwan region, as well as for prosperity and the order of the entire world,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a press conference on Tuesday, while Pelosi’s plane was still in transit with no explicit destination.
The answer is not waiting. As soon as they landed, the state television ‘CGTN’ has reported that Chinese Su-35 fighters were “crossing the Taiwan Strait”, without offering more details about it. The island’s Ministry of Defense has denied this point, assuring that it monitors all movements in the area and will react based on “enemy threats.” Hours later, the Chinese Foreign Ministry “urgently” summoned the US ambassador to Beijing, Nicholas Burns, because Pelosi has “played with fire” by going to Taiwan, state television CCTV reported.
The People’s Liberation Army, whose troops have concentrated since early morning in Fujian province, the mainland coast closest to Taiwan, has announced “important live-fire military exercises” in six areas around the island, which could begin this morning and will last until Sunday. These will involve the use of naval and air forces, as well as the employment of conventional and long-range artillery. Pelosi, however, will no longer be there, as according to his schedule, he will leave Taiwan first thing tomorrow morning Wednesday after meeting with President Tsai Ing-wen.
“Accelerate reunification”
The last time tensions reached such heights, during the third Strait Crisis in 1995 and 1996, military exercises were limited to the west coast of Taiwan. Experts consulted in previous months regarding a possible invasion already pointed out that one of China’s first priorities would consist of the deployment of forces around the island to isolate it, in line with the maneuvers announced today.
The Foreign Ministry has issued a statement stating that Pelosi’s visit “seriously violates the sovereignty and territorial integrity of China, undermining the peace and stability of Taiwan.” “There is only one China in the world, Taiwan is an inalienable part of its territory and the Government of the People’s Republic is its only legitimate representative,” he stated before adding that “the Taiwan issue represents the most important, central and sensitive issue in Sino-US relations. The official Chinese media have been quick to predict that what happened will “accelerate the reunification efforts” of the self-governed island, considered by China to be a rebellious province that it has never given up subduing by force.
Pelosi, for her part, has explained the reasons for her trip in a forum published in the newspaper ‘The Washington Post’, which has seen the light as soon as she has set foot in Taipei. “This vibrant, robust democracy, recognized as one of the freest in the world, is in danger. In recent years, Beijing has dramatically escalated tensions with Taiwan. Today, America must remember its commitment to support the defense of Taiwan.” The Speaker of the House of Representatives, however, has clarified that “our visit in no way contradicts the One China policy that we have maintained for so long. The United States continues to oppose unilateral efforts to alter the ‘status quo’.”
Pelosi has denounced the human rights violations committed by the regime in Hong Kong, Tibet and Xinjiang and has recalled how thirty years ago she participated “in a delegation to China which, in Tiananmen Square, unfurled a black and white banner in memory of of those who died for democracy. “The world faces a choice between autocracy and democracy. By traveling to Taiwan, we honor our commitment to democracy: reaffirming that the freedoms of Taiwan, and all democracies, must be respected », he concluded. The mystery of his trip, already revealed, leads China and the United States to a new crisis. Its consequences represent another of the many contained in that mystery that, only for now, is the future.
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