Civic groups, politicians, and business and industry representatives on the island of Taiwan on Tuesday protested against US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's potential visit. Photo: Fan Lingzhi/Global Times

Civic groups, politicians, and business and industry representatives on the island of Taiwan on Tuesday protested against US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's potential visit, amid drastically escalating military tension across the Taiwan Straits after US- and Taiwan-based media on Monday disclosed that the 82-year-old No.3 US official is expected to visit the island on Tuesday night. 

The Taipei-based Chinese Patriotic Concentric Association took to the street at a site near the Grand Hyatt hotel in the Xinyi district, where Pelosi is reportedly to stay. The crowd ranged from a few hundred to about 1,000 people from various civic groups.

Gu Xijun, the vice president of the above group, told the Global Times that the protests and boycotts "will accompany Pelosi wherever she appears in Taiwan." 

Zhang Xiuye, another Taiwan resident who has participated in the rally, told the Global Times that US politicians constantly create cross-Straits tensions and use Taiwan as their ATM.

"If we don't warn the Yanks in Taiwan, then we will be like Tsai Ing-wen who is acquiescing to the Yanks," she said. "Both sides of the Taiwan Straits are one family, and we can sit down and talk without the Yanks interfering. We sincerely hope for early reunification."

PLA Air Force's Su-35 fighter jet(s) is crossing the Taiwan Straits: report

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Photo: AFP

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is expected to arrive on the island of Taiwan on Tuesday night according to foreign media reports, with rising concerns and opposition over her trip within the island and increasing military activities by the Chinese mainland, the Taiwan authorities and the US military in the region. Analysts from both sides of the Taiwan Straits said this risky move will totally change the situation in the region, while the mainland will more actively dominate and speed up the reunification process with comprehensive measures including military and political actions, and these actions will let the US and the secessionist Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities feel the pain. 

There are many options on the table for China to speed up the reunification process. These could include striking Taiwan military targets, just as the PLA did in the previous Taiwan Straits crisis, pushing new legislation for  national reunification, sending military aircraft and vessels to enter the island's "airspace" and "water areas" controlled by the Taiwan authorities and ending the tacit cease-fire with the Taiwan military.

Whether Pelosi can make her trip to Taiwan happen or not, there is no reason for China to be nervous, because such a political show will not change the overwhelming advantages, especially the military one, held by the mainland against the Taiwan authorities and the US in the region. Nor will the trip provide any possibility of "Taiwan independence," and it cannot change the unshakable hard fact that Taiwan is part of China, said experts, noting that what China needs to do is to use this incident to maximize its advantage and keep pushing the reunification process. 

Hua Chunying, a spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a routine press conference on Tuesday that "it was the US who takes the provocative action first and has caused the escalation of Taiwan Straits tension. The US should and must take full responsibility for this."

China-US Photo: VCG

As the world closely watched the potential visit of US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan reportedly on Tuesday evening that is widely described as provocative and dangerous, the Biden administration gave more chicanery in distancing itself by stressing it was her personal choice and continued hollowing out the one-China principle that serves as the foundation of China-US relations. Chinese officials and experts warned that all the consequences of this highly dangerous and provocative move will be borne by Washington, and such visit will also forever change the cross-Straits situation and deliver a destructive impact on the already-difficult China-US relations. 

On Tuesday evening just a few hours ahead of the planned arrival time of Pelosi in Taiwan, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi stressed China's solemn position, warning that some US politicians who selfishly play with fire on the Taiwan question will become the enemies to 1.4 billion Chinese people, and won't meet with a good end. This serves as a final warning to the US to stop it from falling to the cliff, experts said.   

Wang also said the US has violated its promise and is being treacherous on the Taiwan question, noting such behavior is beneath contempt.

Ahead of Pelosi's possible visit to the island, some key White House officials tried to downplay the visit and shift the blame to China. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters on Monday that Pelosi "will make her own decisions about whether or not to visit Taiwan. The Congress is an independent, coequal branch of government. The decision is entirely the speaker's." 

Quotes from Mao Zedong on how to respond to US imperialism Editor: Feng Qingyin/GT Graphic: Xu Zihe/GT

 

Quotes from Mao Zedong on how to respond to US imperialism Editor: Feng Qingyin/GT Graphic: Xu Zihe/GT

 

Quotes from Mao Zedong on how to respond to US imperialism Editor: Feng Qingyin/GT Graphic: Xu Zihe/GT

 

Quotes from Mao Zedong on how to respond to US imperialism Editor: Feng Qingyin/GT Graphic: Xu Zihe/GT

 

Navigational warnings for military exercises amid Taiwan Straits tensions Graphic: Deng Zijun/GT

 

Taiwan Photo: Unsplash

The intensity of the situation across the Taiwan Straits has drastically escalated as the military deployment from the Chinese mainland, US and the island of Taiwan continues creeping up, after US and Taiwan-based media disclosed that US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is expected to visit the island on Tuesday night, a serious provocation and violation to China's sovereignty and territorial integrity which would be met with severe countermeasures from the Chinese military. 

According to the website of China's Maritime Safety Administration, the Shandong Maritime Safety Administration issued a navigation warning, saying that the Weifang port in Bohai Sea will conduct live fire from 15:00 to 24:00 on August 3. The Qinglan Maritime Safety Administration of South China's Guangdong Province also issued a navigation warning due to conducting military training in parts of the South China Sea from Tuesday to Saturday. 

Citing "officials", Taiwan-based media on Monday said Pelosi is expected to land in Taipei on Tuesday evening and stay in Taipei overnight at the Grand Hyatt hotel in Xinyi district. CNN also released similar information, saying that "Pelosi is expected to visit Taiwan as part of her tour of Asia."

The Fujian Provincial Military Command neighboring Taiwan posted videos and pictures on Tuesday about a live-fire exercise, which aims to "test overall combat capability under complex conditions." It said that the minuteman missile unit, anti-aircraft artillery unit, radar unit and other combat units participated in the exercise, the first time in recent years that a provincial military command has organized a multi-branch and multi-professional militia to conduct live fire

Pelosi's dangerous gamble Cartoon: Carlos Latuff

Donald Trump's election as US president in November 2016 marked the end of over four decades of relative stability in US-China relations. Ever since, it has been downhill all the way with barely a pause. Five years have passed and we have seen two US presidents. It would be an exaggeration to suggest that relations are in freefall, but the relationship is patently now unhinged. Predictability has been replaced by uncertainty. Trust has evaporated. It is impossible to predict what the state of the relationship will be after the US congressional elections in November, or after the next presidential election in 2024. The huge uncertainty surrounding the much-mooted visit by Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan this week summed up the present highly charged and intensely volatile nature of US-China relations. It is a salutary fact that neither President Xi Jinping nor even President Joe Biden knew whether that visit would actually go ahead.  

This is a very dangerous situation. The relationship has lost all predictability. Where previously the US-China relationship was based on a well-established and deep mutual understanding and respect for each other's position, now there is very little, at times seemingly none. The guardrails that prevented the relationship suddenly swerving off course are no longer in place, as we have seen so dramatically over the last week or so. What makes the situation even more dangerous, frightening in fact, is the growing power vacuum in the US. Biden, up until the last minute, did not appear to know whether fellow-Democrat Pelosi would go to Taiwan. As we have seen, on two different occasions his aides intervened to reassure the media that had to reinterpret his suggestion that the US would come to Taiwan's defence in the event of Chinese military action. 

It is impossible to predict who might be US president in 2024. It is not difficult, for example, to imagine the return of Trump or someone even worse. Meanwhile, driving the process of polarisation and fragmentation in the US is American decline. It is this, above all, which is responsible for the growing breakdown of the global order. We have entered the age of disorder and instability, both in the US itself and, of course, in the wider world. It represents a mortal threat to global peace. In just a few short years, the language of war, conquest and conflict has replaced the language of cooperation and peace. The idea of war is becoming progressively normalised. That means there is a rising likelihood of it actually happening.

It is no accident that the flashpoint is Taiwan. One of Trump's first actions as president was to take a call from Tsai Ing-wen, the first time since 1979 that a US president had spoken with a Taiwanese regional leader. He even began to question the One-China policy, although he was dissuaded from pursuing this by wiser heads. One of the great achievements of the Nixon-Mao rapprochement was a series of understandings that for the next 40 years would inform and underpin the US-China relationship on Taiwan question. Once the US-China relationship began to unravel after 2016, it was inevitable that Taiwan question would once again become a hot-button issue. 

For China, nothing is more important than the return of the lost territories and the reunification of China. For China this is an existential question. Notwithstanding this, the PRC has shown great patience ever since the illegal occupation of the island by Chiang Kai-shek in 1949. Mao made it clear to Kissinger that China would be patient providing the One-China policy was strictly observed and the Taiwanese government did not declare independence. According to Kissinger, Mao said, "We can do without Taiwan for the time being, and let it come after 100 years." 

The picture shows aircraft carrier Shandong berths at a naval port in Sanya. China's first domestically-made aircraft carrier Shandong (Hull 17) was officially commissioned to the PLA Navy at a military port in Sanya, South China's Hainan Province, on the afternoon of December 17, 2019, making China one of the few countries in the world that have multiple carriers. Photo:China Military

 
Both of aircraft carriers of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy have reportedly moved out from their homeports respectively amid US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's possible visit to the island of Taiwan, which media reported could happen Tuesday evening.

The aircraft carrier Liaoning on Sunday embarked on a voyage from its homeport in Qingdao, East China's Shandong Province, and the aircraft carrier Shandong on Monday set out from its homeport in Sanya, South China's Hainan Province, accompanied by a Type 075 amphibious assault ship, media on the island of Taiwan reported on Tuesday.  

Foreign commercial satellite imageries obtained by the Global Times on Tuesday also show that the aircraft carrier Liaoning was not in its homeport on Sunday, a Type 075 amphibious assault ship was sailing in the South China Sea on Sunday, and the aircraft carrier Shandong was sailing in the South China Sea on Monday.

A report by state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) on Monday shows that the Liaoning was sailing at sea when sailors aboard celebrated the Army Day. 
Xu Ying, executive officer of the Shandong, said in a separate CCTV report on Monday that the Shandong was conducting regular training mission at the time.

The PLA will conduct more dual aircraft carrier training in the future, Xu said.

 

A fighter jet attached to a naval aviation brigade under the PLA Eastern Theater Command soars into the sky during a flight training mission on December 16, 2021. Photo:China Military

Chinese mainland defense stocks finished higher on Tuesday, buoyed by the People's Liberation Army (PLA)'s preparations and drills amid the possible visit of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to the island of Taiwan.

Amid growing geopolitical tensions, Chinese mainland stocks weakened on Tuesday. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index dropped by 2.26 percent, while the smaller Shenzhen index down 2.37 percent. A total of 4,400 stocks fell, with shares related to metals, securities and real estate leading the drop. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index slid 2.65 percent by 3:30 Tuesday.

However, Chinese defense stocks saw a strong performance in Tuesday's market, with Anhui Great Wall Military Industry Co reaching its daily cap of 10 percent to close at 13.37 yuan ($1.98), Bestway Marine & Energy Technology Co trading on Nasdaq-like ChiNext board up 15.09 percent and Guangzhou Hangxin Aviation Technology Co up 14.07 percent.

Amid a tense geopolitical atmosphere, the weighted stock index of Taiwan stock market fell 1.57 percent by 3:30 pm Tuesday, extending Monday's losses.

Asian markets also tumbled on Tuesday. Japan's Nikkei 225 was down by 1.42 percent while MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares retreated 1.46 percent.

Zhang Jun Photo: Xinhua

Amid escalating cross-Straits tensions due to possible visit of US House Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, China's top official to the UN warned that the visit is dangerous and provocative, as the one-China principle is a red line in China's relations with other countries, and China allows no one to cross this red line. 

Zhang Jun, permanent representative of China to UN, further elaborated on China's positions on the Taiwan question and Pelosi's potential visit at a press briefing on Monday as China assumes the rotating presidency of the Security Council in August. Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory. The one-China principle is a red line in China's relations with other countries, and we allow no one to cross this red line, he said. 

"China firmly opposes any separatist move toward 'Taiwan Independence' and any interference by external forces, and allows no room for 'Taiwan Independence' in whatever form," he said. 

The Chinese official also pointed out that China has repeatedly made clear to the US its serious concerns over Speaker Pelosi's potential visit to Taiwan as well as China's firm opposition to it. Such a visit is apparently dangerous and provocative. It will send a seriously wrong signal to the separatist elements seeking "Taiwan Independence," undermine the one-China principle, undermine China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, undermine the peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits, and undermine the relationship between China and the US. 

During a closely-watched trip to Asia, Pelosi is reportedly expected to visit the island, several US media reported on Monday, citing unnamed US officials, despite that China has sent out stern warnings to the Biden administration with the People's Liberation Army being fully prepared for any eventuality. 

A naval fleet comprised of the guided-missile destroyers Ningbo (Hull 139) and Taiyuan (Hull 131), as well as the guided-missile frigate Nantong (Hull 601), steams in astern formation in waters of the East China Sea during a maritime training drill. Photo:China Military

The Chinese Foreign Ministry and the People's Liberation Army (PLA) are keeping up the pressure on the US over House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's potential visit to the island of Taiwan, urging the US to honor US President Joe Biden's promise to not support "Taiwan independence," while media outlets from the US and Taiwan reported that Pelosi is expected to visit the island shortly.

In celebration of the 95th anniversary of the founding of the PLA, the PLA Eastern Theater Command on Monday released a video on social media, along with the message "We are fully prepared for any eventuality. Fight upon order, bury every intruder, move toward joint and successful operation!" The video has become one of the hottest topics on Sina Weibo, China's Twitter-like social media platform. The hashtag on the topic has received at least 42.5 million views, with many netizens seeing it as a clear warning to Pelosi, who could make a surprise and provocative trip to China's Taiwan island.

Citing "officials", Taiwan-based Next TV on Monday said Pelosi is expected to stay in Taipei overnight at the Grand Hyatt hotel in Xinyi district, but it's unclear exactly when she will arrive. CNN also released similar information, saying that "Pelosi is expected to visit Taiwan as part of her tour of Asia," according to a senior official from the Taiwan authorities and a US official. 

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian also said at a routine Monday press conference, "If you play with fire, you will get burned. I believe the US is fully aware of the strong and clear message delivered by China."

If Pelosi visits the island of Taiwan, "the PLA will not sit idly by" and will take "resolute and strong countermeasures" to protect China's sovereignty and territorial integrity. As to what these measures are, Zhao said "if she dares to go, let's wait and see."

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian on Monday reiterated a warning that the US should not arrange a visit by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to the island of Taiwan, stressing that it would lead to serious consequences.

Pelosi's status as the No. 3 politician in the US means that her visit to the island of Taiwan would be highly sensitive, Zhao said, highlighting that no matter when or how she goes to the island, it will seriously violate the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiqués, and thus seriously undermine bilateral relations and have a negative political impact.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry, China's Ministry of National Defense, and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council have spoken out six times in nine days, urging Pelosi to abandon the trip to the island, which would be a serious provocation of China's bottom line.

Pelosi arrived in Singapore on Monday after a weekend stopover in Hawaii to consult with American commanders responsible for the Indo-Pacific, the New York Times reported, noting that Pelosi said in a statement that she was planning to travel on with a congressional delegation for high-level meetings in Malaysia, South Korea and Japan, without mentioning the island of Taiwan.

It would not be unusual to omit Taiwan from an announcement given the security concerns, and Pelosi was expected to proceed with the plan for the highest-level visit by an American official to the island in 25 years, media reports quoted US President Biden's aides as saying.

Photo: Li Hao/GT

At a time when tension is rising in the Taiwan Straits amid US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's possible visit to the island of Taiwan, Chinese soldiers and people celebrated the special anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) on Monday, the Army Day, with a strong passion to demonstrate that whether they are soldiers or not, Chinese people always have the faith and spirit of the PLA in their hearts to firmly safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Starting on Monday morning, China's national flags were raised in multiple military camps and cities from the northernmost city Mohe to the southern Yongshu Reef to commemorate the 95th anniversary of the founding of the PLA.

The video of guards raising the national flag at Tiananmen Square in Beijing went viral on China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo, with many netizens saying that they were impressed and touched by the strong sound of the footsteps of the flag guards, which reminded them of the firm steps of the PLA, from where China was faced with enduring impoverishment and long-standing debility to where it is now.

"We guard the flight of 'Flying Sharks' in the Bohai Bay. Please rest assured, the Party and the people!" Standing next to the "Flying Sharks" (China's J-15 fighter jets), several PLA Navy officers and soldiers vowed to protect the country and the people in a video released by military.cnr.cn on Monday. 

The Eastern Theater Command also released a video on Monday showing advanced weapons and hot-blooded scenes of its training.

Illustration: Chen Xia/GT

A new Taiwan Straits crisis could break out. If Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the US House of Representatives, finally decides to visit Taiwan island during her official trip to Asia, or citing any private reasons, it will definitely have a huge impact on the remaining foundation of cooperation in China-US relations. This could also firm up China's determination to fight against US provocations and make the US pay the bitter price it deserves. To a certain extent, it will also accelerate the process of China's reunification. 

An old Chinese saying goes "avoid being too pushy to avoid being pushed aside." The US should learn from it. The US in recent years has been making waves, which, I believe, has made it increasingly impossible for China to help and cooperate with US interests on issues such as trade, manufacturing, debt, and anti-terrorism, if the US has such demands in future. 

Pelosi should abandon any potential Taiwan trip. This is what she is supposed to do. If she gives up, that means the US still has a clear estimation of itself and it would also remind the US that this is a completely unnecessary diplomatic event. The US government should understand that repeatedly playing tricks and especially playing with fire over the Taiwan question won't bring the US benefits, but losses. 

The US should know that China is not a country to be trifled with. There is room for negotiations over some ordinary issues. But when key issues and China's core interests are concerned, the Chinese people will definitely fight to the end. The Taiwan question is now more and more like the "gray rhino" in China-US relations. Once a crisis breaks out, the US is sure to be the first one to be hit by the "gray rhino." 

There is possibility of a Taiwan Straits crisis breaking out. But China is not afraid of such a crisis and is confident in managing it. China has gradually become familiar with the US approaches against China over the past 40 years, especially in the past four or five years. From the trade war, to Xinjiang and South China Sea issues, to Hong Kong and human rights affairs, and now to the Taiwan question, China has been more adept and powerful in counterattacking US provocations.  

A fighter jet attached to a naval aviation brigade under the PLA Eastern Theater Command soars into the sky during a flight training mission on December 16, 2021. Photo:China Military

The People's Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theater Command has recently organized naval aviation force to conduct mock air combat training after midnight, aiming to promote the pilots' ability to quickly enter combat status for abnormal situations at any time.

The drills came amid a possible Taiwan visit of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who had reportedly arrived in Singapore late on Sunday night, with analysts suggesting that the PLA could send warplanes to intercept her plane should she attempt to land in Taiwan.

The Eastern Theater Command also released a video on Monday showing advanced weapons and hot-blooded scenes of its training.

"We are fully prepared for any eventuality. Fight upon order, bury every intruder, and move toward joint and successful operations! We are PLA soldiers, we swear to defend the motherland to the death," soldiers from the command said in the video.

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Photo: VCG

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has finally announced her Asia trip plan on Sunday that includes Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan with no mention of Taiwan, but this is still far from being able to give a sigh of relief and the potential danger still exists, said experts, as she might also try to make surprise visit to the island during her Asia trip, noting that no matter what happens, China will keep high alert to be fully prepared for military conflict.

Efforts from relevant parties should continue and be strengthened until the crisis is totally averted after Pelosi finishes her trip to Asia amid China's powerful military determination, diplomatic efforts and clear warning signals, as well as persuasion from the White House, the Pentagon, rational US scholars and politicians including former US president Donald Trump, as well as Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova, Chinese experts said.   

It is still possible that Pelosi wants to make a risky and dangerous move by trying to land at a Taiwan airport with emergency excuses like an aircraft fault or refueling, so the Chinese military patrols, radar detections and relevant drills should still keep at high alert in coming days, said analysts. 

If Pelosi's plane really has emergency problems during her trip around China, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft can provide protection to her plane and let her land at airports in China's Sansha city, Hainan Province in the South China Sea, or other airports in the Chinese mainland which could provide professional services and assistance, as long as the speaker's plane stays away from China's Taiwan.  

According to a press release by the website of the House Speaker, Pelosi is leading a "Congressional delegation to the Indo-Pacific region, including visits to Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan. The trip will focus on mutual security, economic partnership and democratic governance in the Indo-Pacific region."

Amphibious armored infantry fighting vehicles (IFV) of an army brigade under the PLA Eastern Theater Command form battle formations in waves during a maritime combat training exercise on June 30, 2022. Photo:China Military

At a time when US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is reportedly planning a trip to the island of Taiwan in a very provocative and risky move that could escalate tension in the Taiwan Straits to a conflict, the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) is getting ready to celebrate the August 1 Army Day by not only revealing some of its latest achievement in weaponry and equipment development, but also with concrete and realistic combat preparations to warn off "Taiwan independence" secessionist and external interfering forces, who are just like what Chairman Mao Zedong once said, all reactionaries are paper tigers.

Shortly prior to Army Day, which falls on August 1, the PLA revealed new progress made in its advanced weaponry and equipment including its hypersonic missile, amphibious assault ship, aerial tanker and large destroyers, all of which are described by military analysts as having important roles to play if a conflict breaks out in the Taiwan Straits.

State broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) on Saturday released a video titled "The capabilities of the Chinese troops shown in 81 seconds", celebrating the upcoming Army Day. A scene in the video showed the launch of what seems to be a DF-17 hypersonic missile from a transporter erector launcher on a highway in a desert, with observers saying that this could be the first time the PLA has revealed a footage on the live-fire launch of the DF-17, which is highly mobile, impossible to intercept, and can hit stationary and moving targets in the South China Sea, the Taiwan Straits and Northeast Asia, including aircraft carriers.

A separate report by CCTV on Friday showed a scene in which the Z-20 utility helicopter was in an integration training with the Type 075 amphibious assault ship at sea. This is also the first time an official report has confirmed the Z-20 has started training on the Type 075, with the combination believed by military observers as an important tactic in amphibious landing missions on locations like the island of Taiwan, as helicopters can provide another, vertical dimension in such operations. The Z-20s can carry aerial assault troops and land in terrains ships cannot reach, while a Type 075 can carry dozens of such helicopters, according to reports.

At a press conference on Sunday, Senior Colonel Shen Jinke, a spokesperson of the PLA Air Force, announced that the YU-20 aerial tanker has started to join combat readiness training. He also said the encirclement flights of the PLA Air Force's multiple types of warplanes around the island of Taiwan have enhanced the PLA's capabilities to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity. Experts said that the YU-20 can boost other warplanes' long-range operational capabilities, including to the east side of the island of Taiwan, giving Taiwan secessionists no ability to hide while also intercepting foreign forces that might wish to interfere.

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaks during a press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., the United States, on Sept. 17, 2020. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua)

In response to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's possible visit to the island of Taiwan, China conducted military exercises Saturday off its coast opposite Taiwan island. A media of the island said on Friday that the live-fire drills near Pingtan in Fuzhou, East China's Fujian Province on Saturday, would be "a strong warning." Some media from the West and the island of Taiwan reported that between July 29 to August 2, China would have at least five military drills in its surrounding waters. 

Some media from the West and the island of Taiwan reported that that between July 29 to August 2, China would have at least 5 military drills in its surrounding waters. 

The Chinese government has repeatedly expressed its strong opposition to Pelosi's potential visit in recent days. In the telephone call with US President Joe Biden on Thursday, Chinese President Xi Jinping said that "Those who play with fire will perish by it." Tan Kefei, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense, warned on Tuesday that if the US side insists on making the visit, the Chinese military will take strong actions to thwart any external interference or "Taiwan independence" separatist scheme, and will be resolute in safeguarding China's national sovereignty and territorial integrity. It can be said these were China's most strong-worded remarks against the US on the Taiwan question in recent years.

For the moment, what is being paid most attention, whether at home or abroad, is what kind of firm and strong measures China will take, especially in military, to safeguard China's national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The US military is considering "moving aircraft carriers or sending fighter planes for close air support" as a measure to protect Pelosi's delegation, said Washington Post on July 23. China and the US are actually nearly at swords' points.

A video celebrating August 1, the 95th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, released by China Central Television on July 30, 2022, displays the live-fire launch of a missile from a transporter erector launcher on a highway in a desert. The missile resembles the DF-17 hypersonic missile, which is publicly displayed at the National Day military parade on October 1, 2019 in Beijing. Photo: Screenshot from China Central Television

 
Shortly prior to the 95th founding anniversary of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) on Monday, China for the first time revealed a video featuring the launch of what resembles a DF-17 missile, in a move experts said on Sunday displayed the flexibility of the "aircraft carrier killer" hypersonic weapon that is almost impossible to intercept, at a time when tension is rising in the Taiwan Straits amid US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's possible visit to the island of Taiwan.

State broadcaster China Central Television on Saturday released a video titled "The capabilities of the Chinese troops shown in 81 seconds", celebrating the upcoming China's Army Day, which falls on August 1.

A scene in the video, showing live-fire launch of a missile from a transporter erector launcher on a highway in a desert, attracted particular attention by military enthusiasts, who said the missile resembles the DF-17 hypersonic missile, which has been publicly displayed at the National Day military parade on October 1, 2019 in Beijing.

Making their debut in the general public for the first time, DF-17 missiles join the National Day parade held in Beijing on October 1, 2019. Photo: Fan Lingzhi/GT

 
If the missile shown in the video is indeed a DF-17, this would be the first time China has publicly revealed a footage on the DF-17's live-fire launch, observers said.

Being able to launch on a highway in a desert demonstrated that the new-type missile does not require a preset launch position to launch, Song Zhongping, a Chinese military expert and TV commentator, told the Global Times on Sunday.

Led by the guided-missile frigate Yongzhou (Hull 628), a frigate flotilla with the navy under the PLA Southern Theater Command steams in formation in an undisclosed sea area during a maritime training exercise in early December 2020. Photo: China Military

"Don't say we didn't warn you!" - a phrase that was used by the People's Daily in 1962 before China was forced to fight the border war with India and ahead of the 1979 China-Vietnam War, was frequently mentioned during a forum held Friday by a high-level Chinese think tank, as analysts warned that open military options and comprehensive countermeasures ranging from the economy to diplomacy from China await if US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi gambles with a visit to the Taiwan island during her Asia tour.

On Thursday night, Chinese President Xi Jinping held a phone conversation with US President Joe Biden, during which he once again warned the US about the seriousness and significance of the Taiwan question and said, "Public opinion cannot be defied. Those who play with fire will perish by it. It is hoped that the US will be clear-eyed about this." 

In the recent week, in response to Pelosi's potential visit to the island of Taiwan, a string of warnings have also been made by different ministries and departments of China. On Friday, the Institute of Taiwan Studies in Chinese Academy of Social Sciences - the highest-level think tank - held a forum with analysts and discussed the damage of Pelosi's possible Taiwan island visit to the China-US relations, cross-Straits stability and regional and global peace, and China's countermeasures.

Sending fighter jets to intercept Pelosi's plane, declaring air and maritime zones around the island of Taiwan as restriction zones for military exercises … China's responses will be systematical and not limited to small scale given the severity of Pelosi's move and the damage to the political trust of China-US relations, Yang Mingjie, head of the Institute of Taiwan Studies in Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times. 

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaks on women's healthcare issues inside the US Capitol in Washington, DC on July 28, 2022. Pelosi led a delegation to Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and Singapore the following day while it is unclear whether she will make a stop in the island of Taiwan. Photo: AFP

Pelosi is leading an official congressional delegation to Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and Singapore in Asia starting Friday and it is unclear whether the trip will include a stop in the island of Taiwan, US media reported. 

Nancy Pelosi Photo: AFP

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has laid a mine where China-US relations and the situation around the Taiwan Straits converge. She lit the match, but it remains uncertain whether she will truly ignite the mine. According to the itinerary of Pelosi's Asia trip as reported by US media, her trip includes Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and Singapore, and the island of Taiwan was listed as "tentative." Many believe this is a trick by Pelosi, who is very likely to fly to Taiwan island from Japan and make a sudden visit.

This kind of sneaky trick is indeed difficult to predict, but one thing is certain: China will take strong measures to resolutely respond and counteract, and it will let the huge risk created by Pelosi have an impact on herself. This is not only a firm and clear attitude, but will certainly be accompanied by a strong and concrete course of action plan.

China's response has been clear, as always. "Those who play with fire will perish by it." This was said to Pelosi and the Taiwan secessionist forces that support her. A White House official called it a metaphor that China regularly tends to use. He completely misread and misjudged the essence and weight of this sentence. Any act of stepping on the red line will surely hit the iron wall of China's counterattack. China's repeated public warnings are by no means jokes. Washington should turn to history to see that China has always kept its word.

No matter from the perspective of international law or international morality, it is legitimate and necessary for China to safeguard its national sovereignty and territorial integrity from provocation. Today, China's will and ability in this regard is without doubt. US President Joe Biden has reiterated that he adheres to the one-China policy and does not support "Taiwan independence." What kind of behavior is a visit to Taiwan island by Washington's "No.3 figure"? If you come to offend me, I will make you bear the consequences. This is not China threatening or intimidating anyone, but safeguarding and defending its own core interests.

It must be pointed out that the current understanding of this serious situation is very inadequate in the political circles of Washington, and some wrong views are circulating, misleading public opinion. Those anti-China politicians and media are fanning the flames. On the one hand, they say that if Pelosi really visits Taiwan island, it will be the "peak of her political career." On the other hand, if she doesn't go, she will "hand China some kind of victory" and she cannot let China decide where she can go. The issue is, Taiwan is China's territory, not a place where people can come and go at will. If you come uninvited with malice, of course we have the right and necessity to deal with you.

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Photo:Xinhua

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi reportedly kicked off her Asia trip on Friday with a "tentative" itinerary for Taiwan island, and Chinese observers said the key to whether Pelosi would actually visit the island lies with the Biden administration, warning US President Joe Biden to make the right choice from the perspective of national security and the fast-shrinking economy that has fallen into recession.

If Pelosi visits the island, it would be a slap in the face to the incapable Biden administration, which will have to face declining credibility and endure  unprecedented and unbearable diplomatic and military consequences, and these consequences are real, especially after the stern warning from Chinese President Xi Jinping, who spoke with Biden on the phone late on Thursday, observers said.

Several US media outlets cited sources who claimed that Pelosi is leading an official congressional delegation to Asia on Friday, with destinations including Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and Singapore, and the itinerary listed a Taiwan visit as "tentative."

Pelosi also invited several senior lawmakers to join her on the trip, including House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Gregory Meeks and Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Mark Takano, NBC News reported on Friday. 

Photo:Xinhua

Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden spoke via telephone for over two hours on Thursday at a juncture of increased tension between China and the US due to the security situation around the Taiwan Straits and US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's reported plan to visit the island of Taiwan.

During the conversation with Xi, Biden reiterated that the one-China policy of the US has not changed and will not change, and that the US does not support "Taiwan independence."

Experts said the Xi-Biden talk is significant for the two great powers to manage their differences amid the serious tension, while it also sends a positive signal to the world that the two countries are still willing to cooperate with each other. 

On the evening of July 28, Xi spoke with Biden on the phone at the request of the latter. The two presidents had a candid communication and exchange on China-US relations and issues of mutual interest, the Xinhua News Agency reported late Thursday evening.

Analysts said that according to the official information released about the Xi-Biden conversation, it is impressive that the Chinese leader is being very candid to directly criticize US policy on China, including its strategy that sees China as a "primary rival" and the US actions to push decoupling with China, and he also reaffirmed China's bottom line on Taiwan question. Xi warned Biden "those who play with fire will perish by it." Chinese experts said that the US politicians who intended to "play with fire" on the Taiwan question will sense great pressure after the conversation. 

China US Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

On July 19, 2022, the Financial Times, using "six sources familiar with the situation" as an anonymous source, released the news that the US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi was planning to visit Taiwan region sometime in August, arousing great concern from all sides. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China gave a clear response to this issue at four press conferences on July 19, July 21, July 25, and July 27, expressing that China firmly opposes and is seriously concerned about it. China takes it in a very serious way and is ready to take all means to launch a counter action if necessary. If the US insists on going its own way, China will take firm and powerful measures to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the US should be responsible for all serious consequences. Chinese Ministry of National Defense spokesman Tan Kefei said in response to an inquiry on July 26 that China requires the United States to take concrete actions to fulfill its commitment not to support "Taiwan independence" and not to arrange for Pelosi to visit Taiwan region. If the US insists on going its own way, the Chinese military will never sit idly by, and will take powerful and strong measures to thwart any external interference and separatist plans for "Taiwan independence", and resolutely defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity. The meaning of these statements is crystal clear. If the United States insists on pushing forward the visit, then China will use all kinds of means, including the use of military force when necessary, to resolutely fight back.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of National Defense clearly expressed China's solemn position on Pelosi's planned visit to Taiwan region from both the dimensions of foreign affairs and national defense in an unprecedented way. From the perspective of the Chinese government, the Chinese side's remarks on countering Pelosi's possible visit to Taiwan region have reached the level of "wu wei yan zhi bu yu," which means the highest level of warning. In practical preparations, for the Chinese side, all options, including the military ones, are already on the table.

The public abhors the false signals that US politicians and the political institutions marked by the US Congress continue to release on the Taiwan question, as well as the various actions that have been and may be taken to step on the bottom line of China's territorial and sovereign integrity. The general aspiration of the people is to firmly support the Chinese government in taking practical and effective measures and give resolute countermeasures, so that those who repeatedly provoked the Taiwan question and harmed the core interests of the Chinese nation suffered substantial punishment.

From the perspective of interpretation by all parties, it is crucial to accurately understand and interpret China's remarks against Pelosi's possible visit to Taiwan region. Judging from the existing reactions of the United States and the West, there are three significant misunderstandings that need to be avoided:

Firstly, avoid misjudging the nature and consequences of stepping on China's bottom line, or interpreting China's restraint and caution as weakness, and believing that the so-called salami-slicing tactic of pressing step by step can be adopted, and China's goodwill can be arbitrarily used to gain interests for some politicians and individual political parties and minority interest groups. The Taiwan question involves China's territorial and sovereign integrity, which is the bottom line of China's national interests. Unlike the US and Western countries, which are accustomed to using major strategic issues as a bargaining chip for politicians, political parties and interest groups to seek their own interests, China has always adhered to the attitude of being responsible to the country, the nation, and the world in handling the Taiwan question and China-US relations. Therefore, China's wording is cautious, its position is restraint, but its actions must be resolute. What China is trying to show is a high sense of responsibility for the country, the nation, regional security and global strategic stability, rather than being what some Western media, research institutions and individual politicians understand as "show" or "for face". Unfortunately, the United States and Western countries have not responded to this restraint and responsibility. On the contrary, China's restraint has been reciprocated by the United States and the West with salami-slicing tactic. Pelosi is the third-ranked political figure in the US political sequence. She is not a normal member of the US Congress in the ordinary sense. The US Congress is not a roadside stall, not an NGO, but an integral part of the US government. The Speaker of the House of Representatives visiting Taiwan regions, no matter what means of transportation, no matter what name it uses, no matter what content it contains, at the moment in 2022, it will inevitably be interpreted by the Taiwan independence forces on Taiwan Island as the major political support of the US government for it. An extremely wrong signal will stimulate the Taiwan independence forces to take more provocative actions. The Chinese government will not sit idly by and let this happen. The reason why it continues to use restrained and cautious diplomatic language is to maintain the most basic decency and etiquette between China and the United States, and it does not want to imitate the ugly face of the United States wielding big stick policy of military strikes all day long. To avoid this misunderstanding, in slang terms, it means Washington should not treat Beijing's politeness as a blessing (bu yao ba ke qi dang fu qi).

Nancy Pelosi Photo: AFP

China and the US are locked in an intense clash over US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's possible visit to the island of Taiwan. Two of the expressions used by China to describe the country's attitude are very rare, namely: "We are fully prepared for any eventuality," and "PLA will not sit idly by if Pelosi visits Taiwan island."

Let me interpret what these words mean.

The second line was delivered by Tan Kefei, a spokesperson of China's Ministry of National Defense, on Tuesday. China does not utter such words lightly. On October 3, 1950, when former Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai called an emergency meeting with the Indian ambassador to China and asked the latter to convey China's strong warning to the US, Zhou said that US troops were trying to cross the 38th parallel and to expand the war, and if the US military really wanted to do this, China would not sit idly by but it would be forced to act. Later that month, the Chinese government fulfilled its warning and sent Chinese People's Volunteers army to participate in the war in North Korea.

In 1964, in the aftermath of the Gulf of Tonkin incident, the Chinese government issued a solemn statement that aggression by the US against the Democratic Republic of Vietnam means aggression against China, and the Chinese people would by no means sit idly by. In April 1965, Zhou warned the US through then Pakistani president, asking the US troops not to cross the 17th parallel (the military boundary between North Vietnam and South Vietnam) otherwise, the Chinese people would not sit idly by the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. Because of the lessons of the Korean War, the US accepted the warning from China and did not dare to cross the 17th parallel on the ground until the US troops withdrew from Vietnam.

Another example is the 1958 Taiwan Straits Crisis, which was widely interpreted as a declaration that the Chinese mainland would never sit idly by in response to the US attempt to split Taiwan from China and promote "two Chinas." The shelling of the Kinmen lasted for 21 years.

Wu Qian.  Photo: CFP

 
Action is the most powerful language, said the Chinese Defense Ministry on Thursday as its spokesperson stressed the sensitivity of the Taiwan question again after China issued  six warnings against US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's potential visit to Taiwan island over the past few days.

The frequency of Chinese warnings and the remarks different departments use fully demonstrate China's determination to take any necessary military measures to counter US provocations and safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, analysts said. 

The People's Liberation Army (PLA) will not tolerate any "Taiwan independence" moves or interference from external forces, and will resolutely stop such attempts, Wu Qian, spokesperson for the Defense Ministry, said at Thursday's press briefing. 

The root cause of a turbulent Taiwan Straits is the collusion between "Taiwan independence" forces and external interfering forces, Wu said, urging relevant parties to learn to adapt to the new reality (PLA operations near the Straits), to reflect on their own deeds and "most importantly, to pull back from the brink." 

Though Wu was responding to a question about PLA operations on the Taiwan Straits, analysts interpreted Wu's words as another stern warning against the US government and some US politicians who are pushing Pelosi's possible visit to Taiwan island. 

Chinese Ambassador to the US Qin Gang Photo:VCG

 
If anyone tries to separate the island of Taiwan from the country, if anyone wants to challenge China's bottom line, Chinese military will take forceful measures to firmly safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, Chinese Ambassador to the US told at a recent event.  

These remarks were made by Qin Gang, the Chinese envoy to the US, at the reception marking the 95th anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army of China. The Taiwan question has always been the most important and sensitive core issue in China-US relations, he said, noting that the Chinese government values peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits, and has been making utmost efforts for peaceful reunification.

However, the "Taiwan independence" separatist forces and their activities pose the biggest threat to cross-Straits peace and stability, the Chinese official said. "If anyone tries to separate Taiwan from China, if anyone wants to challenge China's bottom line, Chinese military will take forceful measures to firmly safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity," he said. 

The tensions over the question have been escalating in recent days as China has issued six warnings in the past few days on the US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's unconfirmed plan of a trip to the island. The Chinese Defense Ministry on Tuesday vowed that if the US insists on interfering, the Chinese military will by no means sit by idly and strong measures will be taken to thwart any external interference and "Taiwan independence" separatist attempts.

Illustration:Liu Rui/GT

A so-called cross-party delegation of Japanese lawmakers cobbled together with two former Japanese defense ministers, a former vice defense minister, and an incumbent member of the House of Councillors arrived in Taiwan on Wednesday to begin a four-day visit. Before them, the former US defense secretary, former secretary of state, members of Congress, and some anti-China politicians from European countries visited Taiwan one after another. US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is restless and about to make trouble, tentatively revealing twice that she wants to visit Taiwan.

These anti-China politicians use Taiwan as an "Instagram-worthy location" for "political influencers." They come over for a few meals and a free trip, chant slogans and pose for a show, and then simply return to their home countries to exchange the trip for political gains. Without taking responsibility and without any scruples, this seems to be a "no-lose deal" for them personally, and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authority serves them as they would a master. This is a temptation for politicians in the US and West who are politically utilitarian and have no bottom line. Meanwhile, the DPP authority is willing to receive them out of a similar dark and despicable mindset. 

Some DPP members of the legislative authority boasted that US and Japanese defense officials went to Taiwan in succession, highlighting "the importance of Taiwan's strategic position." We have to say, this kind of "self-complacency" is really stupid, if not vicious. Today the situation in the Taiwan Straits is serious and complicated, the root cause of which is that the DPP is stirring up trouble by soliciting foreign support. The fawning DPP authority has added fuel to the "mania to visit Taiwan" by US and Japanese politicians, which is "decent" superficially, but will actually put the island in multiple dilemmas and ultimately harm the people on the island.

In recent years, despite the various thwarts of the DPP authority, with the joint efforts of people on both sides of the Straits, exchanges and cooperation continue to advance, and integrated development continues to deepen as well. In the first quarter of this year, the cross-Straits trade increased to $82.58 billion despite the pandemic, a year-on-year increase of 15.2 percent,  Taiwan's exports to the Chinese mainland rose by 17.8% year-on-year, accounting for 40.9 percent of Taiwan's total exports. When it comes to the US and Japan, apart from supplying arms, US pork and beef containing ractopamine, and nuclear food to Taiwan, when have they really cared about Taiwan? Now, whenever foreign lawmakers visit Taiwan, netizens in Taiwan would ask, "What do they want Taiwan to buy from them this time?"

What's worst is that all these anti-China politicians operate under the banner of "supporting Taiwan," but they are clearly harming Taiwan. Their "support" is directed at the DPP authority and the "Taiwan independence" forces, yet it is just symbolical and empty support. But the damage to Taiwan triggered by their moves is real. As a matter of fact, it is not that anti-China politicians do not believe that China's reunification is unstoppable. They just intend to ramp up the cost of China's continued development and growth, and the safety and well-being of Taiwan society is one of the "costs" in their plan.

Two Su-35 fighter jets and a H-6K bomber fly in formation on May 11, 2018. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) air force conducted patrol training over China's island of Taiwan on Friday.(Photo: Xinhua)

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's unconfirmed plan of a trip to the island of Taiwan keeps troubling the US as Pelosi, US President Joe Biden and Democrats are now facing pressure instead of "encouragements" from the Republicans on the matter, with Chinese experts warning that if the US eventually let the partisan struggle and internal politics hijack its strategic decision-making, it would definitely bring a new crisis in the Taiwan Straits.

Republicans knew that Democrats, especially Pelosi and Biden, are now facing a dilemma - visiting the island may prompt China's military reaction and a serious geopolitical crisis will emerge and Pelosi will be in danger as well. According to analysts, canceling the trip will benefit Republicans, as they can say that Democrats are being too weak and dare not to challenge China. The Biden administration and Pelosi still have a chance to keep the mistake from becoming a much bigger one, and if they - both Democrats and Republicans - underestimate China's warning, it would be extremely dangerous. 

China has issued six warnings in the past few days and has stressed the danger of the US provocations, including those coming from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of National Defense and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council. 

On Tuesday, China's top political advisor Wang Yang stressed the importance of upholding the one-China principle and the 1992 Consensus, and called for jointly striving to achieve the reunification of the motherland, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

Wang, at a meeting in Beijing marking the 30th anniversary of the 1992 Consensus, said the Taiwan authorities' denial of the 1992 Consensus, along with certain countries' connivance and instigation of the secessionists' provocation, will only plunge Taiwan into catastrophe, and cause misery for Taiwan people. 

 
After the Japanese Defense Ministry spotted an armed reconnaissance drone of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) flying above waters to the east side of the island of Taiwan on Monday, Taiwan media reported that the PLA aircraft went and made a full circle flight around the island of Taiwan for the first time. 

Chinese mainland analysts said on Wednesday that Taiwan's defense authority's failure to report the drone's activity exposed the island's defense vulnerabilities against drones, a great vulnerability the PLA can abuse in a possible cross-Straits conflict.

A TB-001 drone of the PLA flew to the eastern side of the island of Taiwan, crossed the Bashi Channel and continued to fly along the alleged median line of the Taiwan Straits, marking that the drone made a clockwise circle around the island on Monday, the first day of Taiwan's annual Han Kuang military drills, media on the island reported on Tuesday.

This is also the first time a PLA drone has made a full circle flight around the island of Taiwan, the report said.

The report came after Japan's Ministry of Defense Joint Staff said in a press release that a TB-001 armed reconnaissance drone of the PLA flew across the Miyako Strait and to the eastern side of the island of Taiwan on Monday.

Tan Kefei Photo:mod.gov.cn

After the Chinese Foreign Ministry stressed that China had made sterner warnings to US officials and China is fully prepared for any eventuality over US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's planned Taiwan trip on Monday, the Chinese Defense Ministry on Tuesday vowed that if the US insists, the Chinese military will by no means sit idly by and strong measures will be taken to thwart any external interference and "Taiwan independence" separatist attempts.

Chinese analysts said the strong warnings from the Chinese military meant that the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) is well prepared for all the possible challenges if Pelosi visits the island, and they advised the PLA Rocket Force to conduct drills with new missiles targeting any possible US aircraft carriers and other large military vessels that may be involved in Pelosi's visit.

Tan Kefei, a spokesperson of China's Ministry of National Defense, said on Tuesday that if Pelosi, as the No.3 US politician, visits Taiwan, it will be a serious violation of the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiqués, and it will seriously damage China's sovereignty and territorial integrity as well as the political basis for China-US relations. It would certainly cause severe damage to bilateral military relations and lead to escalating tensions across the Taiwan Straits.

China demands the US to fulfill its commitment of not supporting Taiwan secessionism and not arrange Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, Tan said, noting that if the US persists, the Chinese military will by no means sit idly by and will take strong measures to thwart any external inferences and "Taiwan independence" secessionist attempts and resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Tan's remarks indicate that PLA is fully prepared for all responses if she does visit the island," Song Zhongping, a Chinese military expert told the Global Times on Tuesday.

Mike Pompeo. Photo: VCG

While US government officials remain divided over the still unannounced Taiwan trip by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo said he would visit the island with her. Chinese observers believe that Pompeo is pinning his hopes on "making a mess" and fanning the flames of Pelosi's unannounced visit in order to politically rise again for the 2024 presidential election, but as the two are completely opposed on most domestic issues, it's impossible for Pompeo and Pelosi to visit Taiwan island together. 

A week after media reported Pelosi was about to visit Taiwan, Pompeo, deemed by American media as the "worst secretary of state ever," tweeted on Monday, "Nancy, I'll go with you. I'm banned in China, but not freedom-loving Taiwan. See you there!"

In the commentary section of his tweet, some people from Taiwan island welcomed the pair's plan to visit, including Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmaker Wang Ting-yu who tweeted that "we are looking forward to seeing you both here in Taiwan."

Meanwhile, some netizens mocked Pompeo. A commenter named "Pars" said "cute that Pompeo thinks he's still relevant."

Photo: China military

Editor's Note:

China has warned of "strong and resolute measures" against US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's planned trip to Taiwan island in August. If she does make the visit, what will it mean for the situation in the Taiwan Straits? What short-term and long-term impact will it have on China-US relations? What measures should China take? Zheng Yongnian (Zheng), professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and president of the Institute for International Affairs, Qianhai, talked with Global Times (GT) reporters Wang Wenwen over these issues.


GT: In response to Pelosi's planned visit, US President Joe Biden said in response that the US military thinks Pelosi's trip is "not a good idea right now," adding that "I don't know what the status of it is." How would you interpret Biden's words?

Zheng: The current US government is generally semi-paralyzed and divided. As US House speaker, Pelosi has not coordinated with the president, and many things that the president aims to do would be vetoed by the Congress. The US government is not an example of checks and balances right now, with every one doing their own thing without any coordination.

Pelosi reportedly planned to visit Taiwan in April, but the trip was cancelled after she tested positive for COVID-19. There were speculations saying it was due to the pressure from the US military. This time, according to Biden's words, the US military also has different opinions and claims it is "not a good idea right now." This shows that the US is very divided internally.


GT: Pelosi's visit to Taiwan is believed to have considerations of mid-term elections, trying to save some momentum for the Democratic Party. US domestic politics is increasingly overwhelming rational foreign relations. To what extent will domestic affairs of the US affect its actions regarding Taiwan?

Zheng: Biden and Pelosi share political interests in visiting Taiwan, as mid-term elections are coming. After Biden came into power, the Democratic Party has made no achievements in internal affairs. Although Biden has acted tough toward China and Russia diplomatically and reached some bipartisan consensus on the Taiwan question, these did not help him much. Biden's approval rating is even lower than Donald Trump's. Trump took the populist line and was not supported by elites. But when Biden just took office, some Republican elites were optimistic about him. Now that Biden's performance is sluggish, how should the Democratic Party deal with such a situation? Only by playing with diplomatic issues.

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi departs the White House in Washington DC following a signing event for a postal service reform act on April 6, 2022. Pelosi tested positive for COVID-19 on April 7 and postponed her Asia trip and reported visit to the island of Taiwan. Photo: VCG

After the US government received an unprecedentedly strong message from the Chinese side regarding US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's planned visit to the island of Taiwan, the Biden administration appears to be increasingly concerned that the visit could lead to catastrophic consequences for China-US relations. Although the two top Democratic leaders share the same interest in using Taiwan question to serve their political goals ahead of the midterm elections, they are apparently not on the same page on how to play the Taiwan card. 

Unlike US lawmakers who only take into account domestic political demands, the White House has to consider broader security concerns and the danger of miscalculation, as an escalating confrontation with the Chinese government over the Taiwan question will only hurt US own interests, experts said. 

By using the excuse of separation of powers, the Biden administration reportedly hinted at the inability to control fellow Democrat Pelosi regarding trips she would undertake. Some Chinese experts said that if the Biden administration is determined to oppose it, the trip can't be made as such high-level visit needs the coordination with the administration in terms of security.  

It is time to see if US President Joe Biden can fulfill his promises on US-China relations especially on the Taiwan question by dissuading this visit, which is widely seen as a severe provocation that could trigger an overwhelming response from the Chinese side, some experts warned, and the reaction of the Chinese side could become a game-changer for cross-Straits relations.

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi departs the White House in Washington DC following a signing event for a postal service reform act on April 6, 2022. Pelosi tested positive for COVID-19 on April 7 and postponed her Asia trip and reported visit to the island of Taiwan. Photo: VCG

After China warned of "strong and resolute measures" over US House speaker Nancy Pelosi's planned Taiwan trip, US President Joe Biden on Wednesday hinted the Pentagon opposed Pelosi's trip. Chinese observers believe that Biden administration has clearly received China's message about a possible diplomatic and military response, which could be something the US is not able to afford. 

Amid risks of aggravating ties with China and a 40-year high inflation, the Biden administration urgently needs to seek high-level engagement with China, but Chinese observers warn that Biden may use this engagement to trade for China's compromise in future bilateral trade arrangements or China's stance on Russia-Ukraine conflict, not out of intention to sincerely correct its mistakes, and China does not buy such a trick. 

When asked whether it's a good idea for Pelosi to visit Taiwan this summer, Biden said "The military thinks it's not a good idea right now, but I don't know what the status of it is."

In response to Biden's latest remarks, Wang Wenbin, spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said at media briefing Thursday that if Pelosi visits Taiwan, it would seriously violate the one-China principle and harm China's sovereignty and territorial integrity and the political foundation of China-US relations.  

"If the US insists on going its own way, China will take strong countermeasures. We mean what we say," Wang stressed.

The picture shows aircraft carrier Shandong berths at a naval port in Sanya. China's first domestically-made aircraft carrier Shandong (Hull 17) was officially commissioned to the PLA Navy at a military port in Sanya, South China's Hainan Province, on the afternoon of December 17, 2019, making China one of the few countries in the world that have multiple carriers. Photo:China Military

 
The aircraft carrier Shandong of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy reportedly sailed through the Taiwan Straits on Tuesday, the same day a US destroyer also made a transit in the region, with experts saying on Wednesday that the US warship's provocative move, which came right after its consecutive trespasses in Xisha and Nansha islands in the South China Sea last week, is a desperate and cost-saving attempt to hype tensions and contain China as the US faces China's growing capabilities, while the Chinese carrier was just returning to base after a regular maintenance.

The PLA Eastern Theater Command organized naval and air forces to track and monitor the USS Benfold destroyer through its entire course when it sailed through the Taiwan Straits on Tuesday, Senior Colonel Shi Yi, a spokesperson at the PLA Eastern Theater Command, said in a statement on Wednesday.

Frequent provocations and shows by the US clearly demonstrated that the US is the destroyer of peace and stability and risk creator in the Taiwan Straits, Shi said. He noted that the troops of the PLA Eastern Theater Command will always stay on high alert and firmly safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity. 

It is the third provocative maritime activity by the USS Benfold near China in just one week. On July 13, the US vessel was driven away by the PLA Southern Theater Command from Chinese territorial waters off the Xisha Islands in the South China Sea, then on Saturday, it claimed to have sailed near the Nansha Islands, also in the South China Sea.

It is rare that a US warship would consecutively sail into waters off the Xisha Islands, Nansha Islands and then through the Taiwan Straits, this is a new kind of provocation, Zhang Xuefeng, a Chinese military expert, told the Global Times on Wednesday. 

Nancy Pelosi Photo: AFP

Once again, media has reported that US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi plans to visit Taiwan in August after an aborted April visit to Asia that might include a trip to China's island due to testing positive for COVID-19, with analysts saying that if she intends to make a blatant provocation against China, she would spark a much more dangerous incident than the Taiwan Straits Crisis in 1996, and it would cause a huge setback for China-US ties.  

According to the Financial Times on Tuesday, "six people familiar with the situation said Pelosi would take a delegation to Taiwan in August." Just as in April, Pelosi did not make an official response to the media report as of press time, while the external affairs authority of Taiwan island said on Tuesday that they have not received relevant information about this.  

But the Chinese Foreign Ministry made a serious response to warn the US. Zhao Lijian, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said at a routine press conference on Tuesday that China firmly opposes official exchanges between the US and Taiwan authorities in any form. "As an integral part of the US government, the US Congress should strictly abide by the one-China policy pursued by the US. If House Speaker Pelosi visits Taiwan, it will be a serious violation of the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-US joint communiqués," Zhao said. 

"China urged the US to not arrange the visit and stop official exchanges, stop creating tensions across the Taiwan Straits, and take concrete actions to fulfill the US commitment of 'not supporting Taiwan secessionism.' If the US insists on going its own way, China will take firm and forceful measures to firmly safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity. The US must bear all the consequence of the visit," Zhao said.

Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, also said on Tuesday that the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) authorities' attempt to collude with foreign forces to seek secession, no matter in what form, will only end in failure.

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaks during a press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., the United States, on Sept. 10, 2020. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua)

An exclusive report in the Financial Times on Tuesday quoted multiple sources as saying Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the US House of Representatives, will visit Taiwan in August amid her trip to Japan, Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia. 

If Pelosi, a fellow Democrat with US President Joe Biden, visits Taiwan, no one will believe it is because Biden "cannot control her". People are more likely to believe that her visit is part of Washington's tactic of "good cop/bad cop."

As the Speaker of the House, Pelosi is second in the US presidential line of succession according to the US Constitution. Her visit to Taiwan is not only an escalation of US support for "Taiwan independence," but a major incident. It was reported in April that Pelosi would make the visit, but the planned trip to Asia was canceled because she tested positive for COVID-19 then. 

It has been proven that the US will not be reasonable on the Taiwan question, and the only way for China to respond to Washington's provocation is to use resolute countermeasures to make it clear the cost of playing the Taiwan card, which is the only language the US understands. 

Although then-Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich visited Taiwan in 1997, the travel was seen more as an outward manifestation of the US domestic political bad blood, since Gingrich was a Republican, opposite of then-president Bill Clinton. Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, if takes place, however, would be a blatant challenge to China by the US as a whole. 

Illustration:Liu Rui/GT

 

Nancy Pelosi Photo: AFP

The Financial Times on Tuesday said US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi would take a delegation to Asia in August including the Taiwan island, citing the so-called people familiar with the situation. If the news is true and the trip happens, it will be one of the most egregious provocations by the US to China on the Taiwan question since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the US.

This April, Pelosi already staged a farce of "visiting Taiwan." First, she released the trial balloon through media, but she was suddenly infected with COVID-19 before her departure and postponed the plan. At that time, some netizens sarcastically called it "tactical positive." The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the US Congress kept a low profile both times. Obviously, the US and Taiwan authorities are not completely ignorant of the tempest that may be triggered by their wantonly playing with fire in the Taiwan Straits, but it is evident that they do not have a deep enough understanding or they want to take their chance.

Illustration:Liu Rui/GT

It must be clearly pointed out that there is no room for ambiguity and deception in regard of the one-China principle. Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe's lines in this respect at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore last month are still powerful and ringing:  "China will definitely realize its reunification," and those who pursue "Taiwan independence" in an attempt to split China will definitely come to no good end, and foreign interference is doomed to fail. He also warned that "If anyone dares to secede Taiwan from China, we will not hesitate to fight, and we will fight at all costs." It would be a huge historic mistake for Washington to let these words fall on deaf ears.

Pelosi, 82, once said she has been considered the most disliked person in China for over 30 years. She should be ashamed of that apt label. Over the years, Pelosi has never been absent from the areas where troubles could be made in China-US relations. On the Taiwan question in particular, she was one of the first US congressional leaders to call to offer congratulations when Chen Shui-bian was elected as the regional leader in the island of Taiwan back in 2000. Just earlier this year, she also met via video with the island's vice leader Lai Ching-te, who was on his trip to the US. The US will hold midterm elections later this year, and the Democratic Party is at a disadvantage. Pelosi's focus on the Taiwan Straits at this moment seems to be a desperate attempt to take another chance.  

However, visiting Taiwan is definitely a red line that Pelosi must never cross. China is resolute in defending national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and has the right to take forceful measures against "Taiwan independence" secessionist forces and extraterritorial forces at any time in accordance with changes in the situation, including against the trip and Pelosi herself. China has asked the US side not to arrange Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, and stressed that "the US must be fully responsible for all consequences caused by this." It must be noted that if some US politicians want to use the Taiwan question to make political capital, they will certainly have a deeper understanding and feeling of the old Chinese saying, "he who plays with fire will get burned."

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi departs the White House in Washington DC following a signing event for a postal service reform act on April 6, 2022. Pelosi tested positive for COVID-19 on April 7 and postponed her Asia trip and reported visit to the island of Taiwan. Photo: VCG

 

 

China urges the US to not arrange US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi to visit the Taiwan island and to stop creating tensions over the Taiwan Straits, or China will take forceful countermeasures to safeguard its national sovereignty and territorial integrity, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at a routine press conference on Tuesday. 

China has already reiterated its stance on the issue on many occasions. China firmly opposes any form of official exchanges between the US and the Taiwan island. The House of Representatives is part of the US administration, so it should abide by the one-China principle upheld by the US, Zhao said.