Hours after President Nancy Pelosi of the US House of Representatives visited Taiwan, China responded with force. From 6 am Spanish time, the Asian giant used live fire in the military maneuvers it launched in the area. International journalists stationed on Pingtan Island confirmed the launch of several shells from the Chinese army without seeing where they were flying.
According to state television CCTV, these maneuvers will last until Sunday, in what is called a “reunification operation.” A title that officially implies a military exercise rehearsal but hides the constant threat of an invasion of Taiwan. Beijing has already warned the G7 that it will respond to any violation of its sovereignty. Chinese ships have been encircling the island of Taiwan since yesterday, and their fighter jets fly over it menacingly in what is effectively a blockade.
Meanwhile, controversy continues in the US over Pelosi’s trip. “How has Taiwan’s security improved?” ask left-wing analysts on all TV channels indignantly. Paradoxically, the Congressional leader, second in line to Vice President Kamala Harris for the White House, has been praised by the opposition. “Let me say four words you may not have heard of,” Missouri Republican Senator Roy Blunt said with satisfaction. The speaker is right.
However, there was one criticism. During the first trip by a congressional spokeswoman to Taiwan since 1997, she was not accompanied by Republican congressmen, only by Democrats. Had he done so, “his message would have been much more persuasive,” lamented the leader of the opposition in the lower house, Kevin McCarthy. Having received “on behalf of Congress” the Order of the Auspicious Cloud with a special Grand Cordon, the 82-year-old congresswoman, who had already confronted China in Tiananmen Square in 1991, “unequivocally” made it clear what the purpose of her controversial visit was: “We will not back down from our commitments in front of Taiwan,” he said.
Since the Nixon era, the “strategic ambiguity” agreement that accompanied the “One China” declaration has allowed the island to enjoy pseudo-independence, leading to decades of economic development under democratic rule. Many fear that this is coming to an end. At one time, China promised to seek “peaceful means” to annex the island, which it took from Japan in 1683 and returned to it in 1895. The Asian giant briefly took control of Taiwan on behalf of the Allies after Japan’s surrender at the end of World War II, but the civil war that followed in mainland China with the victory of the Communist Party turned the island into a haven of resistance. During the meager 19 hours she spent in Taiwan, Pelosi’s meetings were filled with dissidents.
With the imperialist ambitions of China, now the second superpower in the world after the United States, the unification of its historical territory is at the top of its list of rulers, as happened to Vladimir Putin when he recalled the greatness of Russia and the empire of the Great Patriotic War. Soviet Union. China considers the presence of Pelosi, who characterized her official visit and arrived in a plane similar to Air Force One, as a breach of the US promise not to challenge its designation of Taiwan as part of “One China”. Neither the US nor the UN have recognized Taiwan’s independence, although Washington has been selling weapons to Taiwan and promising military protection against any Chinese aggression.
For some, Pelosi’s “provocation” is equivalent to Ukraine’s flirtation with NATO, which justified the Russian invasion. For others, it is just the only thing that will deter the Chinese invasion, which is considered inevitable in many areas. “The question is not if it will happen, but when,” US government sources told NBC host Andrea Mitchell.
“Madam President,” Pelosi told the Taiwanese head of state on Wednesday. “I think it’s important to remind some and inform others of how we got here: 43 years ago, with the passage of the Taiwan Relations Act, the US made a firm commitment to always support Taipei,” he said.
The positions of the congressmen who accompanied him gave an indication of the firmness of his decision: the chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee of Veterans, the vice president of the Committee on Ways and Means, which is in charge of discretionary spending of the budget, and members of the Intelligence Committee, the Armed Services Committee, and even a diplomat from State Department.
The White House did not approve of the trip, but was forced to defend it. “China cannot dictate to the US executive branch where they may or may not travel,” White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said.
President Joe Biden would echo this to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, who warned him that he was “playing with fire” during their phone call last Thursday. After seeing the military deployment of the Chinese maneuvers as Pelosi and her delegation left, the White House said it was not surprised. “That’s exactly what we expected,” Kirby replied, almost satisfied.
The Chinese government summoned U.S. Ambassador to Beijing Nicholas Burns on Tuesday evening to formally protest the visit, which Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called “a complete farce that violates sovereignty” of the country. “Whoever offends China will be punished,” he threatened.
Its representative, Hua Chunying, assured that the maneuvers carried out by the Chinese armed forces do not imply a change in trade or shipping traffic in the Taiwan Strait. “I think they should pay more attention to how American warships and fighter jets are approaching China’s doorstep in a defiant display of strength,” he countered.
Taiwan had to respond to the deployment of 27 Chinese aircraft by raising its own fighters, claiming that 22 of them crossed the border separating its airspace from Chinese. If it was a threat, then the punishment materialized in the form of the suspension of imports of various types of agricultural products. The Taipei government does not see this as a bad price to pay: “Your presence here serves to reinforce the public’s faith in the strength of our democracy as the foundation of our alliance with the United States,” the president said. with thanks.
Source: El Correo
Ashley Fitzgerald is an accomplished journalist in the field of technology. She currently works as a writer at 24 news breaker. With a deep understanding of the latest technology developments, Ashley’s writing provides readers with insightful analysis and unique perspectives on the industry.