WA few hours ahead of Nancy Pelosi’s expected arrival in Taipei, China has stepped up military activities in the Taiwan Strait. The “speaker” of the American House of Representatives is expected in the Taiwanese capital in the early afternoon German time. According to the Financial Times newspaper, a meeting with President Tsai Ing-wen is planned for Wednesday. According to the Reuters news agency, several Chinese military planes flew very close to the unofficial median line that bisects the Taiwan Strait as a kind of buffer on Tuesday. The agency quoted an unidentified source as describing the Chinese crackdown as “very provocative.” The planes “touched” the center line several times during tactical maneuvers. While China has described the center line as “nonexistent,” its military did not purposefully fly over it for twenty years as of 2019, and still rarely does. The Financial Times reported that units of the Chinese military’s Southern Command had been put on increased operational readiness. The newspaper referred to defense politicians from countries neighboring China.
The Taiwanese military, meanwhile, has increased its combat readiness. As reported by the CNA news agency, citing a source, the order came in response to the threat posed by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army and its manoeuvres. The increased readiness was ordered until Thursday noon. However, the two-stage alarm system is not yet a classification for the “emergency”, but continues to be a “normal operational readiness”.
Previously, the American government had publicly stated for the first time what military action it expects Beijing to take in response to Pelosi’s visit. The spokesman for the National Security Council in Washington, John Kirby, had mentioned the crossing of the center line by military aircraft and ships as well as the firing of rockets in the Taiwan Strait. Washington also expects high-profile military exercises.
Image: FAZ
The Chinese military has announced new military exercises for the period from Wednesday to Saturday and has closed several sea areas in the South China Sea to shipping for this purpose. The announcement was prominently reported by state and party media, raising expectations that the country is planning a show of force. Kirby’s list of possible scenarios did not include any of the extreme options that nationalist bloggers in China had floated, including sending Chinese warplanes to observe, intercept or even shoot down Pelosi’s plane. Such an escalation is unlikely to be in Beijing’s interest.
China also responded with economic punitive measures. More than 100 Taiwanese food products have been banned from import on flimsy grounds, according to Taiwanese sources.