Both China and Taiwan have put their defenses on high alert. The reason is that Nancy Pelosi has landed in Taiwan’s capital, Taipei. Pelosi, who is the speaker of the House of Representatives in the United States, landed at 16.43 Norwegian time. – These are extremely dangerous American actions, Chinese authorities say in a statement according to AFP. Just a few minutes earlier, Chinese state media reported that several Su-35 fighter jets had crossed the Taiwan Strait. Taiwan confirms that 21 fighter jets have so far flown into the island’s air identification area. – We have full control over activities around Taiwan and will send out forces in response to threats from enemies, says the Taiwanese Ministry of Defence. SURROUNDED: Map showing where military exercises will take place around Taiwan from Thursday to Saturday. The areas marked in red also enter Taiwan’s territorial waters under international law. Photo: Xinhua News Agency Will surround Taiwan in military exercise Immediately after Pelosi’s landing in Taipei, the Chinese authorities announced that they will carry out a series of military exercises in the waters around Taiwan. Live ammunition will be used during the exercises. The operation will last from Thursday 4 August to Saturday 7 August, writes the state-run Chinese news agency, Xinhua. According to the spokesperson for the PLA, the Chinese military, Shi Yi, the exercises will already begin on Tuesday evening. THE USA NEARBY: The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and three other US warships are on a routine mission in the waters east of Taiwan on Tuesday, writes the Reuters news agency. Photo: Yuyang Wang / Reuters The Chinese military leadership states that the exercises are taking place as a result of recent American activity. Rockets will also be fired at the waters east of Taiwan, the PLA says. Already last week, President Xi Jinping issued a strong warning. “Those who play with fire get burned,” he told President Biden. WELCOME: People in Taipei walk past a billboard welcoming Pelosi to Taiwan. Photo: Chiang Ying-ying / AP Taiwanese divided over visit Although Pelosi’s visit is causing heightened tensions, many Taiwanese are positive. Pelosi’s Taiwanese counterpart You Si-kun has welcomed the speaker. – I wish you and the delegation a safe and productive visit, he writes on Twitter. In addition, several buildings in Taipei have been lit up with words of praise for relations with the United States this evening. ‘GET OUT’: A woman holds up a banner reading ‘Americans get out’ in Taipei as Nancy Pelosi landed. Photo: Chiang Ying-ying / AP But not all Taiwanese are equally excited. – I think it would have been better if the two sides of the Taiwan Strait solved their problems for themselves. Foreign powers should not intervene. But that’s just my opinion, Taipei resident Li (33) told Reuters ahead of the visit. To meet President Tsai Ing-wen Pelosi will visit the Taiwanese parliament and President Tsai Ing-wen tomorrow, before leaving in the afternoon. – Through the visit, we hope to strengthen the relationship between the US and Taiwan. We will maintain peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, said a statement from Tsai’s office. PRESIDENT: Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen visiting a military base in Taoyuan on March 12, 2022. Photo: SAM YEH / AFP Pelosi writes in the Washington Post newspaper that the US must stand by its promise to support Taiwan. She points to China showing itself to be more authoritarian and aggressive. Pelosi mentions, among other things, China’s actions in Hong Kong and Tibet. She also calls China’s treatment of the Uighurs in Xinjiang “genocide”. Nancy Pelosi’s planned travel destinations on her East Asia tour are marked in blue, and Taiwan is marked in red. Asia tour Pelosi is the most senior American politician to visit the island since 1997. She is currently on a tour of East Asia. Today she left Malaysia. Officially, the tour then went on to South Korea and Japan. She has several other congressional representatives with her to Taiwan. Pelosi is a Democrat, but she has long received a lot of support from Republicans for her hard line against China. Most recently today in a statement from 26 Republican members of Congress. Chinese armored vehicles right next to Taiwan China already sends dozens of fighter jets into Taiwan’s airspace every day, and regularly patrols the Taiwan Strait with warships. Today, China has sent dozens of armored vehicles to Xiamen. The city is only a few kilometers from Taiwan’s nearest territory, the Kinmen Islands. China bombarded the Kinmen Islands during the Second Taiwan Crisis in 1958. During the Third Taiwan Crisis in 1995 and 1996, China fired missiles into international waters in the Taiwan Strait. A military exercise was also held, albeit in far less contested areas. Map of Chinese military exercise during the Third Taiwan Crisis Photo: Australian National University
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Pelosi’s plane approaches Taiwan – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
