Dhe “speaker” of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, arrived in the Taiwanese capital on Tuesday. It is the highest-ranking US visit to Taiwan in 25 years. Pelosi’s meeting with President Tsai Ing-wen is scheduled for Wednesday, according to the Financial Times newspaper.
A few hours before the American politician arrived in Taipei, China had stepped up its military activities in the Taiwan Strait. According to the Reuters news agency, several Chinese military planes flew very close to the unofficial median line that bisects the Taiwan Strait as a kind of buffer on Tuesday. The agency quoted an unidentified source as describing the Chinese crackdown as “very provocative.” The planes “touched” the center line several times during tactical maneuvers.
Taiwan’s military increases combat readiness
While China has described the center line as “nonexistent,” its military did not purposefully fly over it for twenty years as of 2019, and still rarely does. The “Financial Times” reported that units of the Chinese military’s East Regional Command had been put on increased operational readiness. The newspaper referred to defense politicians from countries neighboring China.
The Taiwanese military, meanwhile, increased its combat readiness. The CNA news agency reported, citing a source, that the order came in response to the threat posed by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army and its manoeuvres. The increased readiness was ordered until Thursday noon. However, the two-stage alarm system is not yet a classification for the “emergency”, but continues to be a “normal operational readiness”.
Previously, the American government had publicly stated for the first time what military action it expects Beijing to take in response to Pelosi’s visit. The spokesman for the National Security Council in Washington, John Kirby, had mentioned the crossing of the center line by military planes and ships as well as the firing of missiles in the Taiwan Straits. Washington also expects high-profile military exercises.
The Chinese military has announced new military exercises for the period from Wednesday to Saturday and has closed several sea areas in the South China Sea to shipping for this purpose. The announcement was prominently reported by state and party media, raising expectations that the country is planning a show of force.
Kirby’s list of possible scenarios did not include any of the extreme options that nationalist bloggers in China had floated, including sending Chinese warplanes to observe, intercept or even shoot down Pelosi’s plane. Such an escalation is unlikely to be in Beijing’s interest.
China also responded with economic punitive measures. More than 100 Taiwanese food products have been banned from import on flimsy grounds, according to Taiwanese sources.
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