T1B

TAIPEI, Taiwan — The Chinese and Taiwanese militaries dispatched fighter jets, ordered military exercises and bolstered combat readiness as Taiwan prepared to host House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) for a visit that has triggered dire warnings from China’s leadership and sharply escalated tensions between Beijing and Washington.

Pelosi is expected to arrive in Taiwan on Tuesday night local time, according to a person familiar with arrangements for the visit. 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. The Chinese Communist Party claims Taiwan, a self-governing democracy home to 23 million people, as its territory despite never having ruled it. Chinese leader Xi Jinping has pledged to “reunify” Taiwan with China by force if necessary.

White House warns China not to overreact to expected Pelosi visit to Taiwan

Taiwan’s official Central News Agency reported that the island’s military forces reinforced their preparations Tuesday morning and said they would remain at a “strengthened” state of readiness through midday Thursday.

Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said in a statement that the military is closely monitoring all airspace and naval activity to ensure the island’s security with “determination, capability and confidence.”

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. Reuters, citing an unnamed source, reported that Chinese fighter jets on Tuesday flew close to the median line of the Taiwan Strait, the unofficial military boundary. Chinese carrier Xiamen Airlines, meanwhile, announced disruptions to at least 30 flights because of air traffic restrictions in Fujian, the Chinese province directly across the strait from Taiwan.

Hua Chunying, a spokeswoman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, accused the United States on Tuesday of escalating tensions in the Taiwan Strait and warned of “disastrous consequences” if the United States mishandles the situation. “The United States should and must take full responsibility for this,” she said.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Tuesday at a meeting in Shanghai that U.S. politicians who are “playing with fire” on the issue of Taiwan will “come to no good end,” according to a transcript released by the Foreign Ministry.

Mikey wrote: ↑Tue Aug 02, 2022 2:28 pm Talk about projection.
You think maybe the Pelosi family is trying to build hotels in Taiwan?