When House Speaker Nancy Pelosi flew to Taiwan aboard an Air Force passenger jet on Tuesday, she became the highest-ranking US official in 25 years to visit the self-ruled island. China announced military maneuvers in retaliation, even as Taiwanese officials welcomed her and she headed to her hotel. The reason her visit heightened tension between China and the United States: China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and views visits by foreign government officials as recognition of the island’s sovereignty. US President Joe Biden has tried to assuage that complaint, insisting there is no change to America’s long-standing “one China policy”, which recognizes Beijing but allows informal relations and defense ties with Taipei. Pelosi portrays her high-profile trip as part of the U.S. commitment to stand with democracies against authoritarian countries and with democratic Taiwan against China. A look at some of the themes at play:
Why did Pelosi go to Taiwan?
Pelosi has been on a decades-long mission of showing support for struggling Democratic movements. These include a 1991 trip to Tiananmen Square, where she and other lawmakers unfurled a small pro-democracy banner as frowning Chinese security officers tried to shut them down. Chinese forces had crushed a domestic democracy movement in the same spot two years earlier. The speaker frames her trip to Taiwan as part of a larger mission at a time when “the world is faced with a choice between autocracy and democracy.” She led a congressional delegation to the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, in the spring, and her latest effort serves as a landmark in her years of promoting democracy abroad. “We must stand by Taiwan,” she said in an opinion piece published by the Washington Post upon her arrival in Taiwan. He cited the US commitment to a democratic Taiwan under a 1979 law. “It is important that America and our allies make clear that we never give in to authoritarians,” he wrote.
What is the US position on Taiwan?
The Biden administration and Pelosi say the United States remains committed to the “one China policy.” Taiwan and mainland China split during a civil war in 1949. But China claims the island as its own territory and has not ruled out using military force to take it. China has increased both diplomatic and military pressure in recent years. It severed all contact with Taiwan’s government in 2016 after President Tsai Ing-wen refused to support its claim that the island and the mainland form a single Chinese nation, with communist Beijing as the only legitimate government. Beijing sees formal US contact with Taiwan as an encouragement to make permanent the island’s decades-long de facto independence, a step US leaders say they do not support.
How does the Chinese military handle the tense trip?
Immediately after Pelosi’s arrival, China announced a series of military operations and drills, which followed promises of “decisive and strong measures” should Pelosi make her visit. China’s People’s Liberation Army said the maneuvers would take place in the waters and skies near Taiwan and would include firing long-range munitions into the Taiwan Strait. China announces military exercise opposite Taiwan China’s official Xinhua News reported that the military planned to hold live-fire drills from Thursday to Sunday in several locations. An image released by the news agency showed the drills were to be held in six different areas in the waters surrounding Taiwan. Taiwan’s defense ministry announced early Wednesday that China had sent 21 planes flying toward Taiwan, 18 of them fighter jets. The rest included an early warning plane and an electronic warfare plane.
How did the US react?
While Biden has expressed some reticence about Pelosi’s trip, the administration has not openly opposed it and said it is up to Pelosi to decide whether to go. Ahead of Pelosi’s visit, the US military has increased its movements in the Indo-Pacific region. The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and its strike group were in the Philippine Sea on Monday, according to officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations. The Reagan, the cruiser USS Antietam and the destroyer USS Higgins left Singapore after a port visit and proceeded north to their home port in Japan. The aircraft carrier carries an array of aircraft, including F/A-18 fighter jets and helicopters, as well as sophisticated radar systems and other weapons.
Is armed conflict a danger?
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Biden have both made it clear they don’t want that. In a conversation with Biden last week, Xi echoed a theme of Biden’s — their countries should cooperate in areas where they can. The biggest risk is likely an accident if China tries the kind of provocative maneuver it is increasingly performing with other militaries around the South China Sea. These include close flights of other aircraft or ships encountered at sea. But when it comes to the United States, with the world’s most powerful military, “despite the chorus of nationalistic rhetoric, China will make sure it doesn’t stumble into a conflict with colossal damage on all fronts,” said Yu Lie, a senior researcher. at the Chatham House think tank. For China, the best approach is patience and time, Jie said – building toward the day when its economy and military could be too big for the US to challenge. The Morning Update and Afternoon Update newsletters are written by Globe editors, giving you a concise summary of the day’s most important headlines. Sign up today.