Against the backdrop of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's intention to visit Taiwan soon, the US military warned on Wednesday that this step could lead to an escalation that could endanger its security.
Although there is no real fear that China will act on its own initiative against Pelosi, the very fact that she is coming to Taiwan is a recipe for miscalculation and misunderstanding on the part of the US and China, US military officials told the AP agency.
The Biden administration also wants her to reconsider the visit, in light of the fear of undermining relations with Beijing, which sees the visit as a violation of the long-standing status quo under which the US does not officially recognize the island as a sovereign state.
U.S. military officials who spoke to AP said that if Pelosi does carry out her visit, the U.S. military will increase its presence and the movement of its forces in the Taiwan region. They declined to provide details, but noted that fighter jets, ships, and surveillance equipment and other components will be deployed as part of a circular Security overlaps around the island and even beyond it to make sure Pelosi will not be in danger during her flights or during her stay on the ground in Taiwan.
Although every visit by a high-ranking American person includes special security elements, the fact that this is a visit that has not been the same for over 20 years requires activity above and beyond due to the fear of an unplanned escalation.
US Chief of Staff Mark Milley said on Wednesday that the military would do "whatever is necessary to ensure the safety of Pelosi, and I will not extend beyond that."
As you may remember, as part of the civil war in China after World War II, the opponents of the communist regime moved to Taiwan and established a democratic regime there.
In the first years of Taiwan's existence, there was a real fear that it would be occupied by China, but the US made it clear that it would not allow this.
Either way, Pelosi's visit is the highest-ranking visit by an elected American official since 1997, and the fact that Pelosi is second in line for the transfer of power (that is, she will become president in a country where Biden or the vice president is not functioning), makes the visit a defining event in relations between Washington and Taipei.
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