Nancy Pelosi, who arrived in Japan last night for the final leg of her Asia tour, said the trip to the region was “not intended to change the status quo in Taiwan.” Its diplomatic support for Taipei angered China, prompting it to hold live-fire military exercises in waters off Taiwan. China’s state television reported that the military drills, due to conclude on Sunday, will be China’s largest in the Taiwan Strait. The exercises involved actual fire on the waters and in the air around the island. Five missiles landed in Japan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), prompting Tokyo to issue strong diplomatic protests. Speaking after Ms Pelosi’s meeting, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said China’s military exercises targeting Taiwan represented a “serious problem” that threatened regional peace and security and the missile launches must “stop immediately”. The US House speaker, who has previously defended the US commitment to democracy in Taiwan and elsewhere as “ironclad”, said China would not isolate Taipei by preventing US officials from traveling there.
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China won’t isolate Taiwan by blocking US officials from traveling there, Pelosi says
US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said today that China will not isolate Taiwan by preventing US officials from traveling there. He made the remarks in Tokyo, the final leg of an Asia tour highlighted by a visit to Taiwan that angered China. Ms Pelosi, the first House speaker to visit Taiwan in 25 years, said in Taipei on Wednesday that the US commitment to democracy on the self-ruled island and elsewhere “remains ironclad”. US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during a meeting at the Prime Minister’s official residence in Tokyo on August 5, 2022 (JAPAN POOL / JIJI PRESS/AFP via ) The House speaker and five other members of Congress arrived in Tokyo late Thursday after visiting Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan and South Korea. Namita Singh August 5, 2022 5:06 am 1659672054
Chinese ambassador issues chilling warning to Taiwan
A senior Chinese diplomat has issued a chilling warning to Taiwan not to make any further claims for independence, lest it force China to “re-educate” the breakaway region. Read the full story, only from Independent Premium.
Beijing will ‘re-educate’ Taiwan if it seizes island, Chinese ambassador warns
Chinese envoy calls Nancy Pelosi visit to Taipei ‘unnecessary provocation’ Josh Marcus August 5, 2022 5:00 am 1659670214
Pelosi: Asia trip ‘not about changing the status quo in Taiwan’
US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said today that the trip to Asia was never “for the purpose of changing the status quo in Taiwan or the region”. He made the comments after meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. Ms Pelosi, who became the highest-ranking US official to visit Taiwan in 25 years, had praised its democracy and pledged solidarity, angering China. This prompted the outraged neighbor to conduct live-fire military exercises in the waters off Taiwan. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and US Speaker Nancy Pelosi pose for a photo at the Prime Minister’s Official Residence in Tokyo on August 5, 2022 (JAPAN POOL / JIJI PRESS/AFP via ) China’s state television said the military drills, which began yesterday and are due to end on Sunday, will be China’s largest in the Taiwan Strait. The exercises involved actual fire on the waters and in the air around the island. Five missiles landed in Japan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), prompting Tokyo to issue strong diplomatic protests. One of Washington’s closest allies, Tokyo is increasingly concerned about China’s growing power in the Indo-Pacific and the possibility of Beijing taking military action against Taiwan. Namita Singh August 5, 2022 4:30 am 1659668454
China’s Dongfeng missiles take center stage amid tensions in Taiwan
Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense has accused China of launching 11 Dongfeng ballistic missiles into waters off the island’s northeast and southwest as part of aggressive military exercises intended as an intimidating show of force. Tensions in the region have escalated significantly following a visit to Taiwan this week by Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the US House of Representatives, the third in line for the presidency and the highest-ranking American politician to visit the country in 25 years. Beijing urged Ms Pelosi not to pay her respects to a region that has its own democratic political system, constitution and military but which China considers its own, warning that the trip amounted to “playing with fire”. After rejecting those threats and arriving in Taipei, the superpower ordered five days of live-fire drills and warned that regional conflict could become inevitable, raising tensions with the self-ruled republic to the highest levels since 1996. Joe Sommerlad with the full story.
How powerful are Chinese Dongfeng missiles?
Rockets fired near Taiwan waters as Nancy Pelosi’s visit stokes regional tensions Josh Marcus August 5, 2022 4:00 am 1659664854
South Korean president skips Pelosi meeting to stay
Nancy Pelosi’s Asia tour included a series of high-profile meetings: talks with the prime ministers of Singapore and Malaysia; a meeting with Taiwan’s president; and a possible dialogue with Japan’s prime minister by the end of the week. Missing from this list is the president of South Korea, who missed a one-on-one meeting with the Speaker of the House as he resides in Seoul. Ms. Pelosi arrived in South Korea on Wednesday afternoon. At the time Yoon Suk-yeol was in northern Seoul attending a play, he takes selfies and dines with the cast of a comedy about a subway station worker. Mr. Yoon’s office explained that he was not available to meet the US leader in person. Here’s our full story on the snub.
South Korean president skips Pelosi meeting to stay
The President was at a theater performance when the Speaker of the House landed in South Korea Josh Marcus August 5, 2022 3:00 am 1659661254
Photos and video capture Nancy Pelosi arriving in Japan
Nancy Pelosi arrived in Japan on Thursday afternoon. He was joined by a delegation that included US Ambassador Rahm Emanuel and Ricky Rupp, commander of US forces in Japan. Here’s what the scene looked like on the ground. Josh Marcus August 5, 2022 02:00 am 1659659574
Nancy Pelosi arrives in Japan
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived in Japan on Thursday afternoon for the final leg of her Asia tour. Her plane arrived at Yokota Air Base in Tokyo around 10pm. Ms. Pelosi is scheduled to meet with the Speaker of Japan’s Lower House, Hiroyuki Hosoda, during her visit. He will also have breakfast on Friday with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to discuss the US-Japan alliance. Japan has protested China’s military exercises near Taiwan, which took place as the US official visited the disputed island nation earlier this week. Josh Marcus August 5, 2022 1:32 am 1659658374
Another high-profile trip abroad—to the US
Nancy Pelosi isn’t the only leader on a controversial foreign tour. A little over a week ago, Hungary’s prime minister gave a speech on immigration in which he declared that Europeans “do not want to become a people of mixed race.” The comments by Viktor Orban, the 59-year-old far-right leader, sparked outrage in his country and across Europe for their outright racism and led to the resignation of his close adviser of 20 years, who described the speech as “pure Nazi text”. But Mr Orban’s use of white supremacist rhetoric has not dampened American conservatives’ enthusiasm for his visit to the United States this week. The Prime Minister was pictured smiling alongside Donald Trump at the golf resort of Bedminster on Tuesday. After the meeting, the former president issued a statement in which he described Mr Orban as a “friend”, adding: “Few people know so much about what is happening in the world today.” Richard Hall with the whole story.
Fresh from furor over ‘Nazi’ speech, Viktor Orban gets emotional welcome at CPAC
Far-right authoritarian leader receives standing ovation at rally of US conservatives in Dallas Josh Marcus August 5, 2022 01:12 1659657174
Why did Pelosi visit the DMZ?
As if the tension wasn’t high enough, Nancy Pelosi visited the heavily fortified, 160-mile Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea on Thursday with members of a congressional delegation. “It has been a privilege to engage with American heroes in uniform on the ground in Korea, led by General Paul LaCamera, Commander of US Forces Korea. During visits to the Demilitarized Zone/Joint Security Area (DMZ/JSA) and Osan Air Force Base, we conveyed the gratitude of Congress and the Nation for the patriotic service of our military, who stand as guardians of the Republic on the Korean Peninsula.” she wrote in a statement afterward. The visit, as well as Ms Pelosi’s meeting with South Korean leaders, reinforced the role of the US as a nuclear deterrent on the Korean peninsula. “The United States and South Korea share a strong security bond forged by decades of warm friendship. Our congressional delegation traveled to Seoul to reaffirm our valuable ties and shared commitment to promoting security and stability, economic development and democratic governance,” the House Speaker said of her visit. Josh Marcus August 5, 2022 12:52 AM 1659655365
China’s ambassador to the US criticizes Pelosi’s trip to the Washington Post
Qin Gang, the Chinese ambassador to the US, expressed his dismay at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan in a scathing op-ed published Thursday in the Washington Post. In the article, he argued that the US and the international community have long recognized China as Taiwan’s sole representative. Lady…