China's defense ministry announced Tuesday that its military would conduct "targeted" drills and missile tests around Taiwan in response to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to the island. According to the defense ministry, the targeted military operations are designed to protect national sovereignty. Some experts were concerned that the drills would overlap with Taiwan's waters. The drills will be the largest number of exercises to be conducted very close to the island of Taiwan itself, and the first to take place on all sides surrounding it. The drills could include Chinese missiles. The US has concluded that China's threats against Pelosi are just an intimidation tactic. Four warships, including an aircraft carrier, were sent by the Pentagon to the waters east of Taiwan. One U.S. official said that the Ronald Reagan is far away from Taiwan. It was reported that Pelosi would become the highest-ranking elected U.S. official to visit Taiwan since 1997 if she went. Should Pelosi visit the island, China had threatened to retaliate in a big way. Pelosi said that the congressional delegation's visit to Taiwan honors America's commitment to Taiwan's vibrant Democracy. The decision to go ahead with her visit was confirmed by Pelosi when she arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday. The United States and China had been at odds over whether she should go.
Wang Yi said that U.S. politicians were playing with fire on Taiwan.
He said in a statement that this will definitely not have a good outcome.
According to China's state-owned newspaper People's Daily, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement saying that Pelosi's visit seriously interfered with China's sovereignty.
The moves are very dangerous. People who play with fire will die.
Several Chinese warplanes were seen flying close to the median line of the Taiwan Strait just hours before Nancy Pelosi arrived in Taiwan.
While the White House has publicly steered clear of taking a position on whether Pelosi should visit Taiwan, several Biden administration officials have stressed that a potential visit from the speaker should not escalate tensions with China.
The increase in tensions in the last weeks and months have been the result of Chinese aggression. John Kirby said on Fox News that there was no reason for the visit to escalate tensions.
The United States official position on Taiwan remains unchanged and Pelosi would be one of many members of Congress that have visited Taiwan over the past few years, according to Biden administration officials. The White House said in a statement that it won't engage in saber rattling and that it doesn't want to escalate tensions with China.
"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."
The delegation's discussions with Taiwan's leaders will focus on our support for our partner and on promoting our shared interests, according to the speaker. She said that the visit was not in contradiction to United States policy.
Pelosi said that America's solidarity with the 23 million people of Taiwan is more important today than ever.
In a Washington Post op-ed published just after her arrival in Taiwan, Pelosi wrote that the U.S. must support Taiwan's self-defense. She said that the island republic is under threat from Beijing and that China has intensified tensions with Taiwan by launching cyberattacks.
She wrote that the congressional delegation's visit should be seen as an unambiguous statement that America stands with Taiwan as it defends itself and its freedom.
Pelosi has put herself at odds with Beijing in the past. She once unfurled a banner in Beijing's Tiananmen Square dedicated to the pro-democracy activists massacred there. She supports the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.
Local newspapers said that Pelosi would spend the night in Taiwan when she arrived Tuesday night.
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