The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, held a meeting on Wednesday with the President of Taiwan, Tsai Ing-wen, in which proclaimed a phrase that did nothing but add tension with China. The US official assured that his country “will not abandon” to the island, which he described as an “example” to the world.
“Today our delegation … came to Taiwan to make it clear, unequivocally, that we will not abandon our commitment to Taiwan and that we are proud of our enduring friendship,” Pelosi said.
Pelosi’s presence in Taiwan further strained the US-China relationshipwhich claims sovereignty over the island and classified this trip as a provocation with which the North American country violates the existing status quo on this territory, one of the main reasons for bilateral conflict.
China considers the island to be a rebellious province, ever since the Kuomintang nationalists withdrew there in 1949 after losing the civil war against the communists.
Taiwan, with whom the United States does not maintain official relations, is one of the main reasons for the conflict between China and the North American nation, mainly because Washington is the main supplier of weons to the island and would be its greatest military ally. in case of war conflict with the Asian giant.
Pelosi’s presence in Taiwan further strained the relationship between the United States and China. Photo Central News Agency/via Reuters
For her part, after that meeting, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen stated that the island “will not back down”as China prepares to carry out military exercises and impose trade sanctions in retaliation for Pelosi’s visit.
“In the face of growing and deliberate military threats, we will maintain the line of defense of democracyTsai said at the meeting with Pelosi in Taipei.
The Taiwanese president, who decorated Pelosi with the Order of Propitious Clouds for her “support” for the territory, expressed her hope that Taiwan and the United States “continue their mutual support” to make “democracy shine again.” At the same time, she thanked Pelosi for her support at a “critical time.”
The Taiwanese president said the island “will uphold the line of defense of democracy.” Photo Taiwan Presidential Office via AP
American politics landed in Taipei Tuesday night on an unofficially announced trip which has outraged the Chinese government, which is responding with a military deployment in the Taiwan Strait and trade sanctions on the island.
Pelosi today began the public agenda of her visit to Taiwan in the House of Representatives, where she met with the vice president of the institution, Tsai Chi-chang. He was also scheduled to hold meetings with members of the four political parties represented in the legislature, including the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (PPD) and the opposition Kuomintang.
It is expected that, after a stay of a few hours, the President of the United States Legislature and second in line to succession to the White House will resume her tour of Asia, which will take her to South Korea and Jan, after the stops made on Monday and on Tuesday in Singore and Malaysia.
This is the first visit by a US House Speaker to Taiwan since 1997, when Republican Newt Gingrich visited the island. It is also the highest-level visit by a US representative since that date, although several congressional delegations have passed through in recent months.
Taiwan denounced that 21 Chinese military aircraft entered its Air Defense Identification Zone
The Taiwan Ministry of Defense denounced this Wednesday that, during the last day, a total of 21 Chinese military aircraft entered is in the Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ).
The ministry disclosed the incursions shortly after Pelosi arrived on the island, although it clarified that the entry of the planes occurred before the arrival of the senior US official.
According to the Taiwanese Ministry of Defense, J-16 and J-11 fighters, KJ-500 radar planes, and Y-8 and Y-9 reconnaissance planes took part in the raid, which took place in the southwestern part of Taiwan’s ADIZ.
The island’s Air Force issued radio warnings and mobilized units to “respond” to the incursion into ADIZ, which is not defined or regulated by any international treaty and is not equivalent to their airspace, but rather covers a larger area that includes areas of mainland China.
The island’s Ministry of Defense began reporting Chinese aircraft breaking into its ADIZ in 2009. In the past year, the number of Chinese raids has increased, actions that have been condemned by both Taiwan and the United States.
These movements peaked in frequency in early October last year, when Beijing was celebrating the founding anniversary of the People’s Republic of China.
Jan protested Chinese military exercises in Taiwan
The government of Jan protested on Wednesday the military maneuvers announced by China around Taiwan In full visit of the president of the House of Representatives of the United States, Nancy Pelosi, In addition, he asked for containment from the neighboring country.
“Jan is concerned about the military activities announced by China,” Janese government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno said today at a press conference, showing the country’s dispointment that the exercises, which include live fire, are taking place in a maritime zone that encompasses part of the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of Jan.
In that sense, he added: “Peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait is important not only for the security of Jan, but for the stability of the international community.” In parallel, he recalled that Jan’s position on this thorny dispute is that “the problem be resolved peacefully through dialogue.”
Matsuno also referred to Pelosi’s planned stop in Jan as part of her Asia tour. “The agenda for Pelosi’s visit is still being prepared,” said the spokesman, who assured that “Jan welcomes his visit, which will strengthen communication between the (parliamentary) chambers of both countries.”
It will be Pelosi’s first visit after the Asian country awarded her the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun in 2015, one of Jan’s highest decorations.
The controversial visit of Nancy Pelosi and the threat of China
In a stance of open defiance of China, Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the US House of Representatives, finally landed in Taiwan on Tuesday after leaving Malaysia.
Pelosi got off the plane dressed in pink and with a mask on the runway, where she was received by representatives of the Taiwanese government. The Democratic leader, warned by China about the serious mistake that it would mean to step on Taiwanese soil, arrived in Taipei without having confirmed her trip to the island.
In response to Pelosi’s visit, the Chinese military promised on Tuesday to launch “selective military actions” with the aim of “defending China’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
For its part, the Eastern Theater of Operations of the People’s Liberation Army (Chinese Army), notified the organization of both maritime and air military maneuvers in the north, southwest and southeast of Taiwan, which would begin on Tuesday night.
Nancy Pelosi arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday from Malaysia. Photo Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs/via Reuters
In an opinion column published in The Washington Post, Pelosi explained that her visit to Taiwan serves to “support” the island’s democracy in the face of the “threats” it suffers from China.
Russia on Tuesday expressed its “absolute solidarity” with its Chinese ally.in a gesture that responds to the fact that Beijing has refused to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“Everything that is related to this tour and a possible visit to Taiwan is a pure provocation. This aggravates the situation in the region and increases tensions,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said.
With information from EFE, AFP and ANSA.
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Source: Clarin
