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Wednesday 3 august 2022
U.S. House Speaker Pelosi arrives in Taiwan, defying Beijing

By HUIZHONG WU and EI- Japan. The carrier has an
LEEN NG array of aircraft, including
Associated Press F/A-18 fighter jets and he-
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — U.S. licopters, on board as well
House Speaker Nancy Pe- as sophisticated radar sys-
losi arrived in Taiwan late tems and other weapons.
Tuesday, becoming the Meanwhile, Taiwan's De-
highest-ranking American fense Ministry said early
official in 25 years to visit the Wednesday that China
self-ruled island claimed by had sent 21 planes flying
China, which quickly an- toward Taiwan, 18 of them
nounced that it would con- fighter jets. The rest includ-
duct military maneuvers in ed an early warning plane
retaliation for her presence. and an electronic warfare
Pelosi arrived aboard a plane.
U.S. Air Force passenger jet Beijing sees official Ameri-
and was greeted on the can contact with Taiwan as
tarmac at Taipei's interna- encouragement to make
tional airport by Taiwan's the island's decades-old
foreign minister and other de facto independence
Taiwanese and American In this photo released by the Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, permanent, a step U.S.
officials. She posed for pho- center pose for photos after she arrives in Taipei, Taiwan, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2022. leaders say they don't sup-
tos before her motorcade Associated Press port. Pelosi, head of one of
whisked her unseen into the three branches of the U.S.
parking garage of a hotel. force to take it. "Some American politicians ing broad claims of its rights government, is the highest-
Her visit has ratcheted up The Biden administration are playing with fire on the around the region. ranking elected American
tension between China did not explicitly urge Pe- issue of Taiwan," Wang China's military threats official to visit Taiwan since
and the United States be- losi to call off her plans. It said in a statement that have driven concerns then-Speaker Newt Gin-
cause China claims Taiwan repeatedly and publicly referred to the U.S. as "the about a new crisis in the grich in 1997.
as part of its territory, and it assured Beijing that the world's biggest saboteur of 100-mile-wide (140-kilome- The flight-tracking site
views visits by foreign gov- visit would not signal any peace." ter) Taiwan Strait that could Flightradar24 said Pelosi's
ernment officials as recog- change in U.S. policy to- Back in the United States, roil global markets and sup- aircraft, an Air Force ver-
nition of the island's sover- ward Taiwan. 26 Republican lawmakers ply chains. sion of the Boeing 737, was
eignty. Soon after Pelosi's arrival, issued a statement of rare The White House on Mon- the most tracked in the
The Biden administration, China announced a series bipartisan support for the day decried Beijing's rheto- world on Tuesday evening
and Pelosi, say the United of military operations and Democratic speaker. The ric, saying the U.S. has no with 300,000 viewers. The
States remains committed drills, which followed prom- statement called trips by interest in deepening ten- plane took a roundabout
to its "one-China policy," ises of "resolute and strong members of Congress to sions with China and "will route, flying east over Indo-
which recognizes Beijing measures" if Pelosi went Taiwan routine. not take the bait or en- nesia rather than directly
but allows informal rela- through with her visit. Senate Republican Leader gage in saber rattling." over the South China Sea.
tions and defense ties with The People's Liberation Mitch McConnell said he White House National Se- Pelosi has used her position
Taipei. Army said the maneuvers backed Pelosi's visit as a curity Council spokesper- to be an emissary for the
The speaker framed the trip would take place starting display of support for Tai- son John Kirby underscored U.S. on the global stage.
as part of a broader mission Tuesday night in the waters wan's democracy and said that the decision about She has long challenged
at a time when "the world and skies near Taiwan and any allegations that her itin- whether to visit Taiwan was China on human rights, in-
faces a choice between include the firing of long- erary was provocative are ultimately Pelosi's. cluding traveling to Tianan-
autocracy and democ- range ammunition in the "utterly absurd." "Put simply, there is no rea- men Square in 1991, two
racy." Her visit comes after Taiwan Strait. "I believe she has every son for Beijing to turn a po- years after China crushed
she led a congressional "This action is a solemn de- right to go," McConnell said tential visit consistent with a wave of democracy
delegation to the Ukrainian terrent against the recent in a Senate speech. longstanding U.S. policy protests. In 2009, she hand-
capital of Kyiv in the spring, major escalation of the The trip was not officially into some sort of crisis or use delivered a letter to then-
and it serves as a cap- negative actions of the announced ahead of time. it as a pretext to increase President Hu Jintao calling
stone to her many years United States on the Tai- Barricades were erected aggressive military activ- for the release of political
of promoting democracy wan issue, and a serious outside the Grand Hyatt ity in or around the Taiwan prisoners. She had sought
abroad. warning to the 'Taiwan in- Hotel in Taipei. Journalists Strait," Kirby said. to visit Taiwan's island de-
"We must stand by Taiwan," dependence' forces seek- and onlookers thronged U.S. officials have said the mocracy earlier this year
she said in an opinion piece ing 'independence.'" the streets just outside and American military will in- before testing positive for
published by The Washing- China's official Xinhua News pressed against the hotel's crease its movements in COVID-19.
ton Post on her arrival in said the army planned to lobby windows as they the Indo-Pacific region dur- China has been steadily
Taiwan. She cited the com- conduct live-fire drills from awaited Pelosi's motor- ing Pelosi's visit. The aircraft ratcheting up diplomatic
mitment that the U.S. made Aug. 4 to 7 across multiple cade. Two buildings in the carrier USS Ronald Reagan and military pressure on
to a democratic Taiwan locations. An image re- capital lit up LED displays and its strike group were in Taiwan. China cut off all
under a 1979 law. leased by the news agen- with words of welcome, the Philippine Sea on Mon- contact with Taiwan's gov-
"It is essential that America cy indicated that the drills including the iconic Tai- day, according to officials ernment in 2016 after Presi-
and our allies make clear were to take place in six pei 101 building, which who spoke on condition of dent Tsai Ing-wen refused
that we never give in to au- different areas in the wa- said "Welcome to Taiwan, anonymity to discuss mili- to endorse its claim that
tocrats," she wrote. ters surrounding Taiwan. Speaker Pelosi." tary operations. the island and mainland
Taiwan and China split dur- Chinese Foreign Minister China has stepped up over- The Reagan, the cruiser USS together make up a single
ing a civil war in 1949, but Wang Yi said Washington's flights and other provoca- Antietam and the destroyer Chinese nation, with the
China claims the island as betrayal "on the Taiwan is- tive moves toward Taiwan USS Higgins left Singapore Communist regime in Bei-
its own territory and has sue is bankrupting its na- and other neighboring ter- after a port visit and moved jing being the sole legiti-
not ruled out using military tional credibility." ritory in recent years, assert- north to their home port in mate government.q