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u.s. news Diahuebs 4 augustus 2022

Pelosi tells Taiwan US commitment to democracy is ‘ironclad’

(AP) — After a trip that announced the military op-
drew China’s wrath, a de- Nevertheless, China issued erations and showed a map
fiant Nancy Pelosi con- a series of harsh statements outlining six different areas
cluded her visit to Tai- after the American delegation around Taiwan.
wan on Wednesday with a touched down late Tuesday
pledge that the American in the Taiwanese capital, Tai- Arthur Zhin-Sheng Wang,
commitment to democ- pei. a defense studies expert at
racy on the self-governing Taiwan’s Central Police Uni-
island and elsewhere “re- Taiwanese President Tsai versity, said three of the areas
mains ironclad.” pushed back firmly against infringe on Taiwanese waters,
Beijing’s military exercises, meaning they are within 12
Pelosi was the first U.S. parts of which will enter Tai- nautical miles (22 kilome-
House speaker to visit the wanese waters. ters) of shore.
island in more than 25 years,
and China swiftly responded “Facing deliberately height- Using live fire in a country’s
by announcing multiple mil- ened military threats, Taiwan territorial airspace or waters
itary exercises nearby. will not back down,” Tsai is risky, Wang said, because
said at her meeting with Pe- under international rules of People’s Liberation Army Air stand they will not stand in
The speaker’s departure for losi. “We will firmly uphold engagement, it can be seen as Force also flew a contingent the way of people coming to
South Korea came just a day our nation’s sovereignty and an act of war. of 21 warplanes toward Tai- Taiwan as a show of friend-
before China was scheduled continue to hold the line of wan. ship and of support.”
to launch its largest maneu- defense for democracy.” In Washington, John Kirby,
vers aimed at Taiwan in more spokesperson for the Nation- Chinese Vice Foreign Minis- Pelosi noted that congres-
than a quarter of a century. The exercises, including al Security Council, sought ter Xie Feng summoned the sional support for Taiwan is
those involving live fire, are to tamp down fears. He U.S. ambassador in Beijing bipartisan, and she praised
Before leaving, a calm but to start Thursday and will be told ABC’s “Good Morn- to convey the country’s pro- the island’s democracy. She
resolute Pelosi repeated pre- the biggest aimed at Taiwan ing America” on Wednesday tests the same night. stopped short of saying that
vious remarks about the since 1995, when China fired that U.S. officials “don’t be- the U.S would defend Tai-
world facing “a choice be- missiles in a large-scale exer- lieve we’re at the brink now, On Wednesday, China wan militarily, emphasizing
tween democracy and autoc- cise to show its displeasure and there’s certainly no rea- banned some imports from that Congress is “committed
racy.” over a visit by then-Taiwan- son for anybody to be talking Taiwan, including citrus fruit to the security of Taiwan, in
ese President Lee Teng-hui about being at the brink go- and fish. That night, China order to have Taiwan be able
“America’s determination to the U.S. ing forward.” flew an additional 27 fighter to most effectively defend
to preserve democracy, here jets toward Taiwan. themselves.”
in Taiwan and around the In other activities, Pelosi vis- Pelosi’s trip heightened U.S.-
world, remains ironclad,” she ited a human rights museum China tensions more than Chinese state broadcaster Her focus has always been
said in a short speech during in Taipei that details the histo- visits by other members of CCTV said a Taiwanese citi- the same, she said, going
a meeting with Taiwanese ry of the island’s martial-law Congress because of her zen was detained on suspi- back to her 1991 visit to Bei-
President Tsai Ing-wen. era. She also met with some high-level position as leader cion of inciting separatism. jing’s Tiananmen Square,
of Taiwan’s most prominent of the House of Representa- Yang Chih-yuan, originally when she and other lawmak-
China claims Taiwan as its rights activists, including an tives. The last House speaker from the city of Taichung, ers unfurled a small banner
territory and opposes any exiled former Hong Kong to visit Taiwan was Newt was shown surrounded by supporting democracy two
engagement by Taiwanese bookseller who was detained Gingrich in 1997. police in a CCTV video. years after a bloody military
officials with foreign govern- by Chinese authorities, Lam Yang had been a candidate for crackdown on protesters at
ments. Wing-kee. China’s response came on a legislative position in New the square. That visit was also
multiple fronts — military, Taipei City, according to local about human rights and what
The Biden administration, Thanking Pelosi for her de- diplomatic and economic. media. she called dangerous tech-
and Pelosi, have said that the cades of support for Taiwan, nology transfers to “rogue
United States remains com- the president presented her Shortly after Pelosi landed Addressing Beijing’s threats, countries.”
mitted to the so-called one- with a civilian honor, the Or- Tuesday night, China an- Pelosi said she hopes it’s
China policy, which recog- der of the Propitious Clouds. nounced live-fire drills that clear that while China has On this trip, Pelosi met with
nizes Beijing but allows in- reportedly started that night, prevented Taiwan from at- representatives from Tai-
formal relations and defense A day earlier, China’s of- as well as the four-day exer- tending certain international wan’s legislature.
ties with Taipei. ficial Xinhua News Agency cises starting Thursday. The meetings, “that they under-

Scenic California river hamlet razed by deadly wildfire

(AP) — The scenic North- gion near the Oregon has lived in the unincorpo- have burned and at least four
ern California hamlet of state line jumped the river rated town for more than Amid storms on Tuesday bodies have been found near
Klamath River was home last weekend, killing four four decades. “Some of our that dumped heavy rain and Klamath River within the
to about 200 people, a residents of the tiny com- oldest homes, 100-year-old swelled rivers in the area, a burned area of the wildfire
community center where munity and turning most homes, are gone. It’s a small private contractor aiding the that is among those that have
they gathered, a corner of its homes and business- community. Good people, firefighting effort was hurt become fiercer in recent years
store and a post office. es to ash. good folks, for the most part, when a bridge gave out and throughout the Western U.S.
But the wildfire raging live here and in time will re- washed the contractor’s pick- Identifying the people were
through the forested re- Some Klamath River resi- build. But it’s going to take up truck away, said Courtney were killed, including two
dents are now picking some time now.” Kreider, a spokesperson with found inside a burned vehicle
through the burned out the Siskiyou County Sher- in a driveway, could take sev-
shells of their modest hous- The McKinney Fire was still iff’s Office. The contractor eral days, Kreider said.
es. Eighty-year-old Roger out of control on Wednes- was hospitalized with non-
Derry said he and his son day despite some progress by life-threatening injuries, she The fire has charred nearly
are among the few families firefighters who took advan- said. 90 square miles (233 square
whose homes were spared by tage of thunderstorms that kilometers) since it erupted
the inferno. dumped rain and temporar- Several thousand people re- last Friday and is the largest
ily lowered heat that can help mained under evacuation of several wildfires burning
“It’s very sad. It’s very dis- fan flames in the parched re- orders, 100 buildings ranging in the Klamath National For-
heartening,” said Derry, who gion. from homes to greenhouses est.