As of this writing China has not responded to Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan. I’ve already given my view: providing assurances of U. S. support to Taiwan is not within Speaker Pelosi’s remit.
I suspect that a lot of people in Taiwan, the Philippines, Japan, and South Korea are biting their nails about now.
This site shows where China’s live fire exercises will occur:
https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4614648
There will be missile launches over and across Taiwan itself to target areas in the South China Sea. One of the target sites is within twelve miles of Taiwan, and others are over the median line in the Straight. China has pointed out the twelve mile “boundaryâ€, and specifically stated that Taiwan, its air space, and its “territorial†waters are Chinese territory.
Both of China’s operational air craft carriers and their attached support groups have set sail for Taiwan and will likely participate in the drills. The US also has two air craft carriers in the region, the Reagan strike group and a Marine F-35B carrier.
I would be surprised if this is cover for an invasion, but I thought Russia was bluffing. Remember Quemoy and Matsu, two little islands just off the Chinese coast? It would be real easy for China to seize them, and make a real statement.
Does anyone think China has lost face? If so, some sort of concrete action might be required.
That’s basically my thinking. I suspect that the crowing over Speaker Pelosi’s visit is tremendously short-sighted.
What was the purpose of Pelosi’s visit except to drop by and give lip service assurances to Taiwan? It seemed like an unnecessary stop-over, to me, that held more risk than benefit. I also personally see many of the Dems policy and/or travel gestures to be nothing more than just that – a gratuitous act that comes up empty in accomplishing anything of value. In the case of Pelosi going to Taiwan, all she did was create more tension and unease in an area already under too much pressure.
What a stupid, self-serving woman!
Some reports from the BBC and NPR have found that most folks in Taiwan are not overly concerned at this point with China’s actions.
The President of South Korea did not meet with Pelosi because he did not want to “interrupt his vacation.†This is just another demonstration of the disrespect foreign leaders have for our Democrat leaders. The U.S. has precipitously fallen from being an exceptional leader of the free world, to a laughing stock country easily snubbed by allies and entities around the world, under the Biden Administration.
Smart man. That way he didn’t risk aggravating the Chinese.