China threatens US with "violent measures" over Taiwan trip
Created: 07/24/2022, 10:45 am
By: Sandra Kathe
For some time it has been feared that the Ukraine war could also encourage an escalation between China and Taiwan.
Now experts are sounding the alarm.
Taipei – A planned visit to Taiwan by US Democrat and Speaker of Parliament Nancy Pelosi is currently causing a great deal of excitement in the White House due to severe threats from China.
The warnings from China, which is threatening "violent measures" if Pelosi travels, are so worrying that there have been voices in the government environment for days that want to ban Pelosi's visit.
This is reported by the US newspaper
Financial Times
.
As the newspaper reports, Pelosi is planning her visit to Taiwan as part of a larger trip to Asia, including to Japan, Singapore and Malaysia.
With her visit to Taiwan, she wanted to show the country the support of the United States.
The background is China's ongoing military threats against the country, which is only recognized diplomatically by a few states and on which the People's Republic of China has been asserting territorial claims for many years.
The speaker of the US House of Representatives has triggered several threats from China with her plan to travel to Taipei.
The Pentagon warns.
(Iconic photo) © Nathan Howard/AFP
Conflict between China and Taiwan: Attack increasingly likely
According to intelligence reports, a violent attack by China on the island state in East Asia is becoming increasingly likely, especially since the Russian attack on Ukraine.
While the US foreign intelligence agency CIA is expecting that the setbacks for Russia in the Ukraine war could ensure that China adjusts its plans for a possible attack on Taiwan, CIA chief William Burns is still anticipating a violent takeover attempt.
The news agency AFP reports from a security conference last week in Aspen (Colorado).
China's ambassador, on the other hand, asserted that his country was aiming for "peaceful reunification".
According to the CIA chief, the setbacks for Russia made China "uneasy".
However, this has less bearing on the question "whether" the Chinese leadership might choose "to use force to control Taiwan" in a few years' time and more on the question "how and when they would do it".
China sees Taiwan as a breakaway province that should be reunited with the mainland - if necessary with military force.
Is the Taiwan conflict about to escalate?
China provokes with military actions
According to reports in the Financial Times, the US ambassador to China returned early to Beijing from a visit to Washington DC due to growing concerns that China might attack Taiwan.
There he is supposed to prepare an upcoming phone call between US President Joe Biden and the Chinese head of state Xi Jinping.
Among other topics, the conversation will also deal with Taiwan.
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The US is pursuing a line of “strategic ambiguity” with regard to Taiwan.
They assure Taipei of support in building up its defense capabilities, but do not expressly promise to come to the island's aid in the event of war.
In May, US President Joe Biden promised military support for Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion, sparking outrage in Beijing.
Since then, the White House has qualified the statement several times, emphasizing that nothing has changed in the US policy of “strategic ambiguity”.
Nevertheless, since Biden's presidency, China has repeatedly provoked military threats towards Taiwan.
China-Taiwan conflict: Pelosi briefed on security concerns
As for Pelosi's plans for her visit to Taiwan, the US government says the Pentagon briefed Pelosi last week on possible security concerns.
After the briefing, the US President told the press that "the military does not consider it appropriate at this time" to proceed with planning the visit.
Ultimately, however, neither the US President nor the military can ban Pelosi from her visit.
The measures that experts believe the Chinese side could take if Pelosi actually travels include military intervention or intercepting the government aircraft with fighter jets to prevent the US politician from landing in Taiwan.
(ska with AFP)