It was announced that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) held a military exercise in the Taiwan Strait. It was stated that a shooting exercise was carried out in the waters off the Pingtan Islands, 125 kilometers from the Taiwan coast of Fujian province of China, and a warning was given to ships not to go to the region. It was reported that in the exercise, in which China’s Type 054A guided missile frigate took place, combat readiness tests of weapons, equipment and soldiers were carried out. It was noteworthy that the exercise was held before the possible Taiwan visit of the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi.
On the other hand, the US Navy reportedly directed the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier task group to the South China Sea. While US officials did not assess whether the ship’s mobility was related to Pelosi’s visit to Asia, they announced that the warship was carrying out a routine patrol.
The US Navy continues Rimpac exercises near Hawaii and Southern California. For this reason, ships belonging to the US Navy frequently pass through the Taiwan Strait.
US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s plan to visit Taiwan in April was canceled after she tested positive for Covid-19. While it has been announced that Pelosi will visit Singapore, Indonesia and Japan within the framework of her Asian visit, it remains unclear whether she will go to Taiwan. “It’s important for us to show our support for Taiwan,” Pelosi said in her speech to the US Congress last week.
Spokespersons of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defense warned about the possible visit of Pelosi. Wu Qian, spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Defense, said, “The Chinese army will not sit and wait, and will protect the country’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.” US President Joe Biden also said the military believes Pelosi’s visit is not a good idea.
TAIWAN IS NOT FROM THE AGENDA
Taiwan tensions were also on the agenda during the meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden last Thursday. Xi Jinping said at the meeting that Washington should adhere to the “one China” principle and used the phrases “playing with fire will burn yourself”.
There are no diplomatic relations between the United States and Taiwan. However, Washington considers itself obligated to protect the island in line with the Taiwan Defense Act. US President Biden, in a statement in May, stated that if China attacked Taiwan, they would intervene to defend the island.
The US State Department, on the other hand, this month approved the sale of $100 million worth of weapons to Taiwan, despite strong objections from Beijing.
“WE CAN DROP PELOSI’S PLANE”
The possible Taiwan visit of Pelosi, Speaker of the US House of Representatives, is also widely covered on social media. Hu Xijin, former Editor-in-Chief of Global Times, one of the media organs of the ruling Communist Party, stated on Twitter that Chinese warplanes could interfere with Pelosi’s plane. Journalist Hu said, “Our fighter jets must apply all coercive tactics. “If these are still insufficient, I think it’s appropriate that they shoot down Pelosi’s plane,” he said. Hu Xijin later announced that he deleted the aforementioned post after his Twitter account was closed.
In the post made on the official social media account of the 80th Group Army of the People’s Liberation Army of China (PLA), the expression “preparation for war” was used. The post on the social media platform Weibo received nearly 2 million likes.
While Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the US House of Representatives, said she was very excited about her trip to Asia, she did not say anything definite about her visit to Taiwan. Pelosi, if she makes the aforementioned visit, will become the highest-ranking US official to visit Taiwan after 25 years. Republican Newt Ginrich, Speaker of the US House of Representatives, visited Taiwan in 1997.
Nancy Pelosi has long been known for her harsh criticism of China on democracy and human rights issues. During her visit to Beijing two years after the Tiananmen events in 1989, Pelosi went to Tiananmen Square and unfurled a black banner with the inscription “Memorial of those who died for democracy in China”. With the intervention of the Chinese security forces, the banner was closed, and Pelosi and her entourage were removed from the square.
China considers Taiwan as a part of its territory, and while the Chinese administration wants to take over the administration of Taiwan under the name of ‘peaceful reunification’, it states that it will not hesitate to use force for this purpose. In addition, the official contact of other countries with Taiwan is considered as a “violation of sovereignty” by China.
(UAV)