Pelosi meets Taiwan's President - China rages over "irrational step" and plans "targeted military action"

Created: 08/08/2022, 12:58 p.m

By: Christiane Kühl, Sven Hauberg

Nancy Pelosi continues her visiting program in Taiwan.

An announced military maneuver by China is causing outrage.

The news ticker.

• Pelosi visit

  : Taiwan accuses China of violating its waters through planned military exercises.

  
  
  

  Despite threats from China:

  Nancy Pelosi landed in Taiwan

• Taiwan conflict

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

• This 

  news ticker

  on

  Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan

   is continuously updated.

Update from August 3, 7:53 a.m .:

Nancy Pelosi met Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in Taipei on Wednesday.

She and her delegation traveled to Taiwan "to make it absolutely clear that we will not give up our commitment to Taiwan," the Speaker of the US House of Representatives said at the meeting on Wednesday.

The visit is also a sign "that we are proud of our enduring friendship".

Tsai stressed that Taiwan would not back down in the face of Chinese threats.

Amid "increased military threats, Taiwan will not back down," the president said.

Taiwan will hold "the line of defense of democracy."

On Wednesday, Pelosi also emphasized at a meeting with the Vice President of the Taiwanese Parliament, Tsai Chi-chang: "We come to Taiwan in friendship, we come in peace for the region."

Update from August 3, 6:57 a.m .:

Taiwan has accused China of wanting to partially penetrate Taiwanese sovereign waters during its planned military maneuvers in response to the visit of top US politician Nancy Pelosi.

"Some of the areas of China's drills are entering (Taiwan's) territorial waters," a spokesman for Taiwan's defense ministry said at a news conference on Wednesday.

"This is an irrational move to challenge the international order."

China had reacted angrily to Pelosi's visit and announced "targeted military action" in response.

A series of military maneuvers in waters around Taiwan are planned.

Among other things, long-range live ammunition is to be fired in the Taiwan Strait - the strait between Taiwan and mainland China.

Earlier on Tuesday, Chinese planes entered Taiwan's air defense zone.

The military maneuvers also raised concerns in Japan.

The area near Taiwan, where China is planning maneuvers from Thursday, overlaps with Japan's exclusive economic zone, Japan's government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno said on Wednesday, according to the Kyodo news agency.

In response to Pelosi's visit, 21 Chinese planes breached Taiwan's air defense zone

Update from August 2, 8 p.m.:

According to the Ministry of Defense in Taiwan's capital Taipei, 21 Chinese planes violated the island's air defense zone on the day of Nancy Pelosi's visit.

However, the military aircraft did not enter the airspace itself, the ministry said.

Taiwan's Ministry of Defense published additional details about the violation on Twitter.

It took place in the southwestern area of ​​the air defense zone.

Eight J-11 air superiority fighters, ten J-16 multirole combat aircraft, a KJ-500 early warning and control aircraft, a Y-9 for electronic warfare and a Y-8 for electronic reconnaissance were involved.

Chinese military planes regularly breach Taiwan's air defense zone.

China's foreign ministry responds to Pelosi visit to Taiwan - 'will self-immolate'

Update from August 2, 6:01 p.m.:

China’s foreign ministry reacted to the arrival of Nancy Pelosi in Taiwan with a statement apparently formulated in advance and spoke of a “very dangerous game with fire”.

Beijing will "take all necessary measures to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity".

Following a phrase used by the head of state and party leader Xi Jinping in a conversation with US President Biden last week, the State Department wrote: "Those who play with fire will burn themselves."

The visit was a "major political provocation," the Foreign Ministry said.

"The US side is trying to control China via Taiwan and undermine the one-China principle." The Taiwan issue is a purely internal China matter in which the US should not interfere.

Pelosi Voices "Support for Vibrant Democracy in Taiwan"

Update August 2, 5:17 p.m.:

Immediately after arriving in Taiwan, Nancy Pelosi posted a message on Twitter.

"Our delegation's visit to Taiwan underscores America's unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwan's vibrant democracy," the 82-year-old wrote.

"America's solidarity with the 23 million people of Taiwan is more important than ever as the world faces a choice between autocracy and democracy." Her visit does not contradict previous US policy towards China and Taiwan.

The island's status quo, Pelosi said, should not be changed unilaterally.

According to Beijing's state-run

, the Chinese People's Liberation Army will "conduct major military drills and training activities, including target practice, in six regions around the island of Taiwan from Thursday to Sunday."

Nancy Pelosi landed in Taiwan

Update August 2, 4:54 p.m.:

Nancy Pelosi has landed in Taiwan aboard a US Air Force Boeing C-40C.

The machine reached Songshan Airport in the north of the capital Taipei at around 10:44 p.m. local time.

Nothing was initially known about incidents during the flight.

China has threatened "serious consequences" if the US House Speaker travels to Taiwan.

China sends fighter jets into the Taiwan Strait

Update August 2, 4:39 p.m.:

An unknown number of

Chinese People's Liberation Army SU-35 fighter jets have crossed the Taiwan Strait.

This was reported by China's state broadcaster CCTV on Tuesday afternoon.

Details were not initially given.

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

View photo gallery

Pelosi's plane approaching Taiwan

Update from August 2, 4:22 p.m.:

The plane in which Nancy Pelosi is said to be has reached Taiwanese airspace shortly after 4 p.m. German time.

This is reported by the flight data portal Flightradar24.

The domestic airport Taipei-Songshan has now been specified as the destination of the flight.

It is still unclear whether Pelosi is really on board the US Air Force plane.

Taiwan prepares for Pelosi visit

Update August 2, 4:04 p.m.:

Taiwan is preparing for Nancy Pelosi's upcoming visit.

Security measures have been tightened at Taoyuan International Airport after a bomb threat, Taiwan news agency CNA reports.

It was also announced that hackers had paralyzed Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen's website.

The President's Office in the capital Taipei confirmed a failure for around 20 minutes on Tuesday afternoon.

Countermeasures have been taken so that the site is now working normally again.

In the evening (local time) in the financial center of the capital Taipei, a welcome message appeared on the country's tallest building, the Taipei 101 skyscraper.

"Long live the friendship between the United States and Taiwan," read one advertisement in Chinese characters.

The words "Thank you" and "Speaker Pelosi" were displayed in English.

Taiwanese politicians also welcomed the visit in advance.

For example, Lo Chih-cheng of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said Pelosi's visit would significantly boost Taiwan's confidence in US commitments to its security, and that the House Speaker should not be deterred by Beijing's threats .

In Taipei, however, there were also isolated demonstrations against Pelosi's visit - including by a few representatives of the "New Party", which is striving for reunification.

Hundreds of thousands follow alleged flight route from Pelosi towards Taiwan

Update from August 2, 2:46 p.m.:

Has Nancy Pelosi left Malaysia and set course for Taiwan?

Hundreds of thousands are currently following

flight number SPAR19 on the

The aircraft took off from Kuala Lumpur at 15:42 local time and then flew east towards Sulawesi and then north towards the Philippines.

The machine is currently heading for Taiwan along the east coast of the Philippines.

According to reports, more than 30 million people are following the course of the plane on China's social networks.

China, meanwhile, has

canceled thousands of flights over the mainland, according to the

This fueled speculation on social media that Beijing could clear its airspace for military action.

At the same time, the newspaper admitted that this could also have completely normal reasons.

China cancels many flights every day – and there are currently hardly more than usual. The

refers to the Flight Master tracking app.

China accuses the US of "treason" over Taiwan

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."

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 name 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: "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

From Taiwan itself, there have so far been few reactions 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 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.

Lee stressed the importance of his city-state's relationship with the United States and American commitment, Singapore's foreign ministry said.

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.