Pelosi's possible visit to Taiwan: maneuvers off the coast - China speaks of "disgrace" and "treason"

Created: 08/02/2022, 1:55 p.m

By: Christiane Kühl, Sven Hauberg

The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan: The situation in the Taiwan Straits comes to a head before Pelosi's visit (archive photo).

© Michael Jarmiolowski/Imago

The situation is getting worse ahead of Nancy Pelosi's possible visit to Taiwan: China has sent fighter jets into the air, and the United States is sending an aircraft carrier to the region.

• Taiwan conflict

  : The US military positions itself ahead of Pelosi's trip

• China and Taiwan

  : Pelosi's possible visit provokes Beijing leadership

• This 

  news ticker

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  Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan

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Update from August 2, 1:50 p.m .:

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi has accused the United States of “treason”.

"The US betrayal of trust and justice on the Taiwan issue is a disgrace and will only further ruin US national credibility," Wang said in an interview, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

"Some US politicians, only concerned with their own selfish interests, are openly playing with fire on the Taiwan issue, making enemies of the 1.4 billion Chinese, which will never end well," Wang said.

"The exposure of the tyrannical face of the US side in the world will make it ever clearer to the people of all countries that the US is the greatest destroyer of peace today."

China puts pressure on Taiwan - and stops food imports

Update August 2, 12:56 p.m.:

China has halted shipments from more than 100 Taiwanese food exporters in a bid to put economic pressure on a key island industry ahead of Pelosi's visit.

The goods affected included seafood, tea and honey,

reported , citing Chinese customs officials.

According to reports from the Taipei-based newspaper

, the Chinese side gave outdated information on the import documents as the reason.

The Taiwan Food and Drug Administration is trying to learn more about the problem.

In the dispute with Lithuania over the opening of a Taiwan office in Vilnius, China's customs had stopped imports of goods from the EU country since 2021 with flimsy justifications, including beef, dairy products and alcohol.

Such a policy of economic pressure on Taiwan is also not new.

Beijing has been blocking the import of some fruits, such as pineapples, for some time.

These are mostly grown in southern Taiwan, where support for President Tsai Ing-wen is particularly strong.

Tsai and her Democratic Progressive Party are considered pro-independence advocates in Beijing.

China criticizes Baerbock for Taiwan statements

Update from August 2, 12:12 p.m .:

The Chinese Foreign Ministry has rejected statements by Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock as “false”.

China has complained to the new German ambassador in Beijing, Patricia Flor, about statements made by Baerbock in New York the day before, Wang Lutong wrote on Twitter on Tuesday.

Wang is responsible for relations with Europe at the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Baerbock had warned on Monday of an escalation in the Taiwan conflict.

"We do not accept when international law is broken and a larger neighbor attacks its smaller neighbor in violation of international law - and that of course also applies to China," said Baerbock on Monday in New York.

In view of the "brutal Russian war of aggression" against Ukraine, it is important to make it clear that the international community does not accept such behavior.

"The Taiwan issue is China's internal affair," Wang said.

"When it comes to Taiwan, complying with international law means adhering to the principle of non-interference in other countries' internal affairs."

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Taiwan conflict: US military positions itself ahead of Pelosi's trip

Update from August 2, 11:05 a.m .:

Before Nancy Pelosi’s possible visit to Taiwan, the US military is positioning itself: Four warships, including an aircraft carrier, were moved to “routine operations” in waters east of Taiwan.

The Reuters news agency reports, citing a representative of the US Navy.

The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan is located in the South China Sea, east of Taiwan and the Philippines and south of Japan.

"They are prepared for all eventualities, but these are normal, routine operations," said the Navy representative.

In Beijing, Hua Chunying, a spokeswoman for China's foreign ministry, said her government is in contact with the US about Pelosi's visit.

She also said, "If the US continues down this wrong path, we will take vigorous and resolute action to safeguard our sovereignty and territorial integrity."

Moscow also got involved in the conflict on Tuesday.

“Washington is destabilizing the world.

Not a single conflict has been settled in recent decades, but several have been provoked," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova wrote in the Telegram online service.

Pelosi's visit to Taiwan: Several Chinese fighter jets approach the island

Update from August 2, 8:03 a.m .:

It is still not clear whether Nancy Pelosi will really get off the plane in Taiwan today.

Nevertheless, China is apparently already reacting to the possible Taipei visit by the chairperson of the US House of Representatives: As the Reuters news agency reports, the leadership of the People's Republic began military maneuvers near the democratically governed island, which China regards as a "breakaway province". becomes.

According to a source, according to Reuters, several Chinese fighter jets were also flying near the so-called median line between the mainland and the island.

Several warships were also near the unofficial border line between the two countries.

The source cited by Reuters described the Chinese action as "very provocative".

China had threatened "severe consequences" for a visit by Pelosi - the 82-year-old is number three in the US political hierarchy.

In response to the Chinese saber-rattling, the Taiwanese government had announced that it would increase combat readiness from Tuesday morning to Thursday noon (local time).

This was reported by the Taiwanese news agency CNA, citing a source.

Combat readiness under Taiwan's two-tier system remains at "normal readiness" and has not been raised to "emergency readiness";

but this could change depending on the military threat from China.

Pelosi is expected in Taiwan Tuesday night

According to several media reports, Pelosi is expected in Taipei on Tuesday evening (local time).

This was recently confirmed by a Taiwanese MP to the dpa news agency.

Accordingly, Pelosi could meet Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen on Wednesday.

Meetings with Parliament Vice President Tsai Chi-chang and members of the Legislative Council are also on the agenda.

According to

, Pelosi will arrive in Taiwan on a private plane at 4:20 p.m. German time (10:20 p.m. local time).

If Democrat Pelosi does fly to Taiwan, it would be the highest-ranking US visit to Taiwan since her former Republican predecessor Newt Gingrich made a visit in 1997. According to CNN, a US government official said they were working around the clock to ensure Pelosi's safety.

The politician first arrived in Malaysia on Tuesday, having previously visited the city-state of Singapore.

The other official stops on her itinerary are South Korea and Japan.

China and Taiwan: Pelosi's possible visit provokes leadership in Beijing

First report from August 1, 2022:

Munich/Washington/Taipei – Nancy Pelosi is still in tropical Singapore, the first stop of her multi-day trip to Asia.

The speaker of the US House of Representatives could land in Taiwan as early as Tuesday (August 2) - and thus cause a scandal with China.

Pelosi herself has so far neither confirmed nor denied media reports about her planned visit to Taipei;

Taiwan is also not part of their official itinerary.

According to CNN, however, government officials from the USA and Taiwan have now confirmed that the 82-year-old wants to spend a night in Taipei;

they did not give an exact date for this.

The Taiwanese television station TVBS, however, reported, citing unspecified sources, that Pelosi would land in Taipei on Tuesday evening (local time).

Pelosi would be the highest-ranking US politician to visit Taiwan in decades.

The Democrat politician is number three in the US hierarchy after US President Joe Biden and Vice President Harris.

The last time a speaker of the House of Representatives had flown to Taiwan was in 1997.

China regards the democratically ruled Taiwan as a "breakaway province" and threatens military "reunification" - even though Taiwan was never part of the People's Republic.

The US has only informal relations with the Taipei government, but has committed to supplying the country with defense weapons.

China and Taiwan: That's what the conflict is about

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China: "Serious Consequences" in Pelosi's Trip to Taiwan

China has been threatening "serious consequences" for days if Pelosi actually travels to Taiwan.

Most recently, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Monday that "the Chinese side is fully prepared for all eventualities."

Without getting specific, Zhao also said, "The People's Liberation Army will not stand by and the Chinese side will certainly take vigorous and decisive measures to protect our sovereignty and territorial integrity."

Pelosi's possible visit was also the subject of a video call between Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping last Thursday.

"Whoever plays with fire gets burned," Xi said in the more than two-hour conversation, according to the official transcript.

Over the weekend, China also held military exercises near Taiwan that also used live ammunition.

The Luftwaffe also flew patrols in the region.

Spokesman Shen Jinke told the state-run

that the air force "has the firm will, full confidence and sufficient capability to defend China's national sovereignty and territorial integrity."

Pelosi trip: Controversy also in US domestic politics

Pelosi's visit to Taiwan is controversial in US politics.

Among other things, safety concerns were expressed.

According to this, China could try to push the politician's plane away.

A possible launch was also apparently discussed, as Pelosi indicated.

The US military is already in the process of relocating aircraft and the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan along with escort ships near Taiwan, according to the Japanese magazine

reported.

Beijing wants to set up a buffer zone for the politician's plane if she actually flies to Taipei.

US President Biden has so far been rather cautious about Pelosi's plans;

the week before last he simply said, "I don't think the military thinks it's a good idea at the moment, but I don't know how things are." Presidential advisers are said to have urged Pelosi to cancel her visit.

While Pelosi received support from former Republican Secretary of State Mike Pompeo ("Nancy, I'm going with you!"), right-wing Trump supporter Marjorie Taylor Green slammed Pelosi, "Why is it so important for Speaker Pelosi to fly to Taiwan?" wrote Taylor Green on Twitter.

“Why is she dragging our military into this and blaming them for her life?

Instead of staying in America and solving the problems plaguing our people, she is provoking war with the unpredictable Communist Party.”

Taiwan: Hardly any public reactions to Pelosi debate

So far, there have been few reactions from Taiwan itself to the reports of Pelosi's visit.

Prime Minister Su Tseng-chang said last week that Pelosi was "very grateful for her strong support and kindness towards Taiwan over the past few years."

President Tsai Ing-wen, on the other hand, has not made any public statements about Pelosi.

On the one hand, Taipei repeatedly receives high-ranking foreign guests, most recently the Vice President of the European Parliament, Nicola Beer.

On the other hand, the Taiwanese government should be aware that a Pelosi visit could provoke a harsh reaction from Beijing.

Internationally, Pelosi's possible trip to Taiwan provoked mixed reactions.

"I think the worst thing Nancy Pelosi could do is not come - as that would set a precedent for China to intimidate senior US politicians," former Australian defense minister Christopher Pyne said in an interview with The

.

In Germany, FDP parliamentary group leader Alexander Graf Lambsdorff warned in the

of "catastrophic consequences, also for our economy" should China launch an attack on Taiwan.

Experts expect China to attack Taiwan

The CDU foreign policy expert Roderich Kiesewetter told the same newspaper that he feared that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could come much earlier than previously assumed: "The Chinese government could see a strategic advantage in an earlier attack because the West is currently developing a lot of capacity in the Russia Conflict binds.” US military and intelligence officials have also been speculating more recently about “when” than “if” a Chinese attack.

Years between 2024 and 2035 are brought into play - and thus a wide range.

On the first stop of her Asia trip, Pelosi met President Halimah Yacob and Premier Lee Hsien Loong in Singapore.

Singapore's Foreign Ministry said Lee stressed the importance of his city-state's relations with the United States and American commitment.

Both delegations exchanged views on important international and regional developments.

On the other hand, not a word was said about Taiwan.

Other stops on Pelosi's official itinerary include Malaysia, South Korea and Japan.