China fired its most direct warning shot yet amid reports that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi may visit Taiwan on Friday, saying that if the speaker's plane is accompanied by U.S. fighter jets, they would not rule out shooting them down.
'If US fighter jets escort Pelosi's plane into Taiwan, it is invasion. The PLA has the right to forcibly dispel Pelosi's plane and the US fighter jets, including firing warning shots and making tactical movement of obstruction. If ineffective, then shoot them down,' Hu Xijin, a commentator with the Chinese state-affiliated Global Times, wrote on Twitter.
Earlier China warned the U.S. against crossing a 'red line' as it released not-so-subtle warnings against the speaker, which China has reasoned is number three in line in U.S. government, from visiting Taiwan.
The U.S. must be prepared to 'bear all consequences' if Pelosi chooses to visit Taiwan, Chinese foreign minister Zhao Lijian said in a briefing Friday.
National Security Spokesman John Kirby said Friday the Pentagon has seen no indication of a military threat.
'We just don't have any concrete indications of something happening from a military perspective on the Chinese part,' Kirby said.
'There's no reason for it to come to come to blows, to come to increased physical tension. There's no reason for that because there's been no change in American policy,' he added.
The speaker has not confirmed whether she will visit the island democracy during an Asian tour that includes stops in Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and Singapore. In response to a question about the potential Taiwan trip on Friday, Pelosi only said:'I don't talk about my travel because it's a security issue.
The speaker added: 'The President earlier this term talked about a strong emphasis on the Asia Pacific ... and the Congress of the United States will be part of that initiative.'
Still, tensions have mounted over the possibility, with the Chinese navy monitoring the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier's activities in the South China Sea.
The Reagan and its strike group left Singapore on Monday and headed to the South China Sea. The nuclear-powered warship was cruising about 185 km (115 miles) from the contested Fiery Cross Reef on Thursday, according to the South China Post. If the vessels continue in the direction they are headed, they will reach the Taiwan Strait.
Two other vessels - identified by Vietnam-based maritime observer Duan Dang as a Chinese Type 052D destroyer and a Type 054A frigate - were seen 27km and 23km away.
Meanwhile the Chinese navy is conducting military exercises off its southern coast near Guangdong, following exercises in nearby Hainan province.
President Biden said last week the Pentagon thought a Taiwan trip was 'not a good idea.'
'Well, I think that the military thinks it's not a good idea right now,' Biden said in response to a question about Pelosi's reported trip. 'But I don't know what the status of it is.'
Biden and President Xi Jinping spoke on the phone Thursday, where China claimed to have offered a stiff warning ahead of the unconfirmed trip.
Chinese state media released some excerpts from the call, including Xi telling Biden: 'Those who play with fire will only get burnt. Hope the U.S. side can see this clearly.'
How Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan set off a new wave of US-China electronic warfare
Chinese and the US forces were locked in a reconnaissance and electronic warfare tussle in the lead-up to and after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan, according to military sources and defence analysts.
But not all of it was successful, according to sources close to the Chinese military.
State broadcaster CCTV reported the Chinese military used naval and air forces in multiple locations to conduct “full tracking and surveillance” against the US Air Force transport aircraft flying Pelosi and her delegation from Kuala Lumpur to Taipei on August 2.
The tracking was aimed at “deterrence”, the report quoted PLA Major General Meng Xiangqing, from the PLA National Defence University, as saying.
However a source said the People’s Liberation Army’s tracking efforts – which involved jets and Type 055 destroyers – failed.
“The PLA deployed some electronic warfare aircraft such as the J-16D and warships to try to locate Pelosi’s aircraft, but were not successful,” the source said.
“Almost all the PLA electronic warfare equipment couldn’t work properly because they were all jammed by electronic interference by the American aircraft strike group sent by the Pentagon to escort her.”
On the flight, Pelosi’s aircraft took an unusually circuitous route by heading southeast towards the Indonesian part of Borneo, then turning north to fly along the eastern part of the Philippines.
He Yuan Ming, an independent airpower analyst, said it was not surprising that the Chinese vessels did not detect the flight.
“Even if the Type 055 [destroyer’s] radar is said to be 500km (310 miles), its effective range in the real world would be much less,” he said.
“Couple this with the vast operating area as well as the Type 055’s relative newness both in terms of its hardware [capabilities] and software [crew], there should be little surprise that the PLA [naval] cruiser could not locate [Pelosi’s plane].”
A lot more at https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3188803/how-pelosis-trip-taiwan-set-new-wave-us-china-electronic
"The red line of the CCP, the government, has been drawn again and again, and it has retreated again and again. Today it has receded into a red carpet to welcome the arrival of Pelosi."
A clothing store bearing the name "Pelosi" received phone calls threatening to wreck it!
China sanctions Pelosi over trip to Taiwan, says visit was an ‘egregious provocation’
China on Friday imposed sanctions on U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her immediate family in response to what the foreign ministry described as an “egregious provocation.”
Pelosi visited Taiwan earlier this week, in what was a highly controversial move. China views the island as part of its territory, but Taiwan has been governed independently since 1949, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.
China repeatedly voiced its opposition to Pelosi’s trip to the disputed island, but the U.S. official decided not to cancel her plans.
“In disregard of China’s grave concerns and firm opposition, Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi insisted on visiting China’s Taiwan region. This constitutes a gross interference in China’s internal affairs. It gravely undermines China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, seriously tramples on the one-China principle, and severely threatens peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” a ministry spokesperson said in a statement.
“In response to Pelosi’s egregious provocation, China decides to adopt sanctions on Pelosi and her immediate family members in accordance with relevant laws of the People’s Republic of China,” they added.
The statement did not include specific details about the nature of the sanctions.
Political analysts have warned that Pelosi’s decision to visit Taiwan could ratchet up U.S.-China tensions. This relationship has been strained for years over issues such as Taiwan, the world economy and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In a phone call last month, Chinese leader Xi Jinping told U.S. President Joe Biden not to “play with fire” over Taiwan. The White House said in a statement that U.S. policy had not changed and that it “strongly opposes unilateral efforts to change the status quo or undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.”
Pelosi is the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit the island in 25 years. Her trip also split positions among U.S. lawmakers, with some questioning the timing of the visit.
During the trip, which was part of a broader diplomatic journey through Asia, Pelosi said Taiwan is an emblem of democracy and a model for the region.
In another show of Beijing’s ire over Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, China’s military has been conducting its largest-ever military drills near the island.
Taiwanese Defense officials have said the exercises are “highly provocative” and added that they are monitoring the moves.
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/08/05/china-sanctions-us-house-speaker-nancy-pelosi-over-trip-to-taiwan.html
Even Chinese citizens feel embarrassed about their government lol
Ban on sand exports, fruit and fish imports: How China is punishing Taiwan for hosting Nancy Pelosi
United States House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, a first by a senior American official in 25 years, has invited the wrath of China.
After landing late on Tuesday, China immediately issued a statement, accusing the US of violating the ‘One China’ principle that maintains Taiwan is part of China.
The statement accused the United States of emboldening “separatist forces” in Taiwan. Pelosi’s visit “has a severe impact on the political foundation of China-US relations and seriously infringes upon China's sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the Chinese foreign ministry said.
“These moves, like playing with fire, are extremely dangerous,” it added.
Shortly after Pelosi’s plane landed in Taipei around 10:50 pm local time, Beijing announced plans of conducting live-fire drills from 4 August to 7 August across multiple locations. It also deployed 20 military planes into Taiwan’s air defence zone.
However, military strength isn’t the only way China is hitting back at Taiwan over the American Democrat’s visit. The Asian giant has also rolled out curbs on the import of fruit and fish from Taiwan while halting shipments of sand to the island — which is bound to hurt Taiwan’s economy.
Not so sweet!
A little before Pelosi touched down in Taiwan, China suspended imports from hundreds of Taiwanese food factories, including biscuits and pastries.
The Taipei-based United Daily News reported that the ban was imposed on Monday night.
Biscuits and pastries are important trading items between Taiwan and China, including Hong Kong.
About two thirds of exports from Taiwan in 2021 were biscuits and pastries, with a total value of $646 million, Taiwanese media reports. In 2020, the value reached $660 million, accounting for 37 per cent of the total export.
In addition to the suspension of biscuit and pastries from Taiwan, China has also suspended some citrus fruit as well as fish imports — such as chilled white striped hairtail and frozen horse mackerel — from the island nation.
China defended their import of citrus fruits alleging ‘repeated’ detection of excessive pesticide residue.
No Chinese sand for Taiwan
On Wednesday, China’s Ministry of Commerce said it had suspended sand exports in line with unspecified legal provisions. Such a move was based on laws and regulations, the ministry said, without elaborating.
News agency AFP reports that most of Taiwan’s imported sand and gravel, which is used for producing concrete and asphalt, comes from China.
Sand is crucial for Taiwan as a raw material for construction projects, including transport and water conservancy, while it is also used for producing silicon wafers in chip production, which is one of the island’s key manufacturing sectors.
Alicia García-Herrero, chief Asia Pacific economist at Natixis in Hong Kong was quoted as telling Al Jazeera that halting sand exports could have a significant impact as construction has become an important source of economic growth during the pandemic.
“I would not say it is a key export from China but it does hurt Taiwan.”
As per official data, Taiwan has imported 15,703 tonnes of natural sand – including silica and quartz sands – from mainland China in the first six months of this year, accounting to $934,000. However, this is just 1.88 per cent of its total import of sand.
Australia has been Taiwan's biggest source for natural sand this year, data revealed, accounting for over 48 per cent of total imports.
More curbs to come?
Trade experts and analysts have said that China’s economic sanctions against Taiwan will ramp up in the days to come.
“If you’re doing something like fish, then it’s more symbolic and not impactful, and now (mainland officials) are looking at how they can move from those symbolic trade barriers to something that’s more impactful,” Zennon Kapron, Singapore-based director of financial industry research firm Kapronasia, told South China Morning Post.
Even Pay, an agriculture analyst at consultancy Trivium China, also agreed, saying more disruptions of agricultural and food trade can be expected in the coming days.
“When diplomatic or trade tensions are running high, Chinese regulators typically take an extremely strict approach to compliance... looking for any issues that can be used to justify a trade ban,” she told AFP.
Liu Yih-jiun, a public affairs professor at Fo Guang University in Taiwan, was also quoted as saying to South China Morning Post that while mainland officials will ramp up curbs, they will avoid hurting Taiwanese people.
“Economically, they are going to do something, but not hurt the Taiwanese people because that will just raise (the sense of) nationalism.”
Incidentally, this isn’t the first time that China is imposing economic curbs on Taiwan. China banned pineapple imports in March 2021, citing the discovery of pests, in a move that was widely seen as politically driven.
Beijing had also suspended imports of pineapples, sugar apples and java apples – the top three fruit exports from Taiwan to mainland China – last year due to the detection of pests.
Beijing has ramped up pressure on Taiwan since President Tsai Ing-wen took office in 2016, as she views the island as a de facto sovereign nation and not part of “one China”.
China-Taiwan trade
Mainland China has been Taiwan’s top export destination; in 2021, 42.3 per cent of all Taiwan’s exports were to Beijing and Hong Kong combined.
In June, Taiwan’s exports to mainland China and Hong Kong reached $15.428 billion, down by 4.5 per cent year on year, while imports rose by 14.6 per cent year on year to $7.911 billion.
https://www.firstpost.com/explainers/ban-on-sand-exports-fruit-and-fish-imports-how-china-is-punishing-taiwan-for-hosting-nancy-pelosi-11004081.html
English Tsai bestowed honours upon Pelosi kym?
Pelosi lands in Taiwan amid high-pressure standoff with China
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi landed in Taiwan's capital of Taipei on Tuesday, arriving for a controversial stop on her tour of Asian countries that has become a flashpoint amid rising tensions between the U.S. and China.
Pelosi and other members of Congress emerged from a U.S. military jet that touched down Tuesday evening in Taipei, where they were greeted by a contingent of Taiwanese officials on the tarmac. The plane traveled from Kuala Lumpur on a flight path that avoided the South China Sea and the Chinese mainland, according to the tracking website FlightAware.
Pelosi visited Taiwan's parliament on Wednesday local time, meeting with the deputy speaker of Taiwan's parliament, Tsai Chi-chang.
"When you say that I am a good friend of Taiwan, I take that as a great compliment, but I receive it on behalf of my colleagues," Pelosi said, adding that she's "very proud" of the group traveling with her.
Pelosi's trip to Taiwan has been cloaked in secrecy and stoked the ire of Beijing, which raised the prospect of a military response to the visit. The White House has said it had no control over Pelosi's decision to visit the island, and has insisted that there has been no change to U.S. policy toward Taiwan and the Chinese government.
As the second in line for the presidency, Pelosi is the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit the island in 25 years. The California Democrat's history of pushback against Beijing dates back to 1991, when she displayed a pro-democracy banner in Tiananmen Square, defying Chinese officials.
In a statement shortly after the plane landed, Pelosi said her visit was meant to honor "America's unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwan's vibrant Democracy."
"Our discussions with Taiwan leadership will focus on reaffirming our support for our partner and on promoting our shared interests, including advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific region," she said. "America's solidarity with the 23 million people of Taiwan is more important today than ever, as the world faces a choice between autocracy and democracy."
The speaker emphasized that the visit "in no way contradicts longstanding United States policy" toward Taiwan and China, and said the U.S. "continues to oppose unilateral efforts to change the status quo."
In an op-ed for The Washington Post explaining her rationale for the visit, Pelosi criticized Beijing's actions in Hong Kong, Tibet, Xinjiang and across the mainland, saying China's "abysmal human rights record and disregard for the rule of law continue, as President Xi Jinping tightens his grip on power."
A Taiwanese government official said Pelosi was expected to meet with President Tsai Ing-wen and members of the legislature in Taipei. The U.S. delegation is expected to stay Tuesday night in the capital and hold meetings throughout the day Wednesday before departing.
The skyscraper Taipei 101, the island's iconic tallest building, flashed messages welcoming Pelosi to the capital ahead of her arrival Tuesday evening.
Beijing considers self-ruled Taiwan to be part of China, and Chinese officials have been warning they would regard Pelosi's visit as a major provocation.
China's Ministry of Defense said the People's Liberation Army would soon begin military exercises around the island of Taiwan, including "long-range live ammunition firing in the Taiwan Strait, and organizing regular-guided fire testing in the eastern waters of Taiwan Island." A statement from the ministry said the exercise was meant to serve as "a solemn deterrent against the recent major escalation of the negative actions of the United States on the Taiwan issue, and a serious warning to the 'Taiwan independence' forces seeking 'independence.'"
During a two-hour phone call with President Biden last week, Chinese President Xi Jinping demanded Pelosi cancel the trip. Earlier in July, Mr. Biden said U.S. military officials thought it was "not a good idea" for Pelosi to visit Taiwan right now.
A U.S. Navy official said Tuesday that three U.S. warships were in the waters east of Taiwan conducting routine operations, including the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, a destroyer and an amphibious assault ship.
According to Reuters, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said Monday its military would "not sit idly by" if Pelosi visited. During a daily briefing, Lijan said a visit by the "No. 3 official of the U.S. government" would "lead to egregious political impact."
On Monday, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby confirmed Pelosi was traveling on a U.S. military aircraft, and he said she had been briefed on Taiwan.
"There have been direct conversations with the speaker and her staff before she left at various levels in the national security establishment," Kirby said, though he did not confirm any plans by her to travel to Taiwan. "The president did not speak directly with the speaker about this trip."
Kirby said "the speaker makes her own decisions" when asked if the military still believed it was not a good idea for her to go. "What we did was provide her context, analysis, facts, information, so that she could make the best decision possible for every stop for every overseas travel," Kirby added.
But Kirby warned about China's "saber rattling," including military provocations such as potentially firing missiles into the Taiwan Strait and large-scale air entry into Taiwan's air space. He also mentioned diplomatic escalations, like Beijing's public assertion last week that the Taiwan Strait is not an international waterway.
"Some of these actions would continue concerning trend lines that we've seen in recent years, but some could be of a different scope and scale," Kirby said. "Last time Beijing fired missiles into the Taiwan Strait was 1995 and 1996 after Beijing reacted provocatively to Taiwan's president's visit to deliver an address at his alma mater."
The split between Taiwan and the mainland government began in 1949, when Chinese nationalists fled to the island amid a civil war with the Chinese Communist Party. The Taiwanese government considers itself the legitimate government of China. Beijing views the island as a breakaway rogue state and part of its own territory.
The U.S. recognized Beijing as the legitimate Chinese government in 1979 and does not support Taiwanese independence, but maintained informal ties with the government, following a policy of "strategic ambiguity." A 2018 law known as the Taiwan Travel Act made the U.S.-Taiwan relationship official, but below the level of formal diplomatic ties.
Pelosi is not the first House speaker to visit Taiwan. Former Speaker Newt Gingrich, a Republican, visited in 1997. Other American officials have made low-profile visits to Taiwan to show support to the island, but Pelosi's visit has garnered much more attention.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nancy-pelosi-taiwan-china-taipei-arrival-plane/
LOOKS LIKE IT'S ON BABY!!!!!
Next stop: Malaysia
https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2022/08/818618/nancy-pelosi-arrives-malaysia-official-visit-nsttv
Pelosi meets Singapore leaders at start of Asia tour
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi held talks with officials in Singapore on Monday at the start of her Asian tour, as questions swirled over a possible stop in Taiwan that has fueled tension with Beijing. Pelosi met with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, President Halimah Yacob and other Cabinet members, the Foreign Ministry said.
Lee welcomed a U.S. commitment to strong engagement with the region, and the two sides discussed ways to deepen U.S. economic engagement through initiatives such as the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, the ministry said in a statement.
Lee and Pelosi also discussed the war in Ukraine, tensions surrounding Taiwan and mainland China, and climate change, it said. Lee “highlighted the importance of stable U.S.-China relations for regional peace and security,” it added, in an apparent allusion to reports that Pelosi may visit Taiwan.
In a statement over the weekend, Pelosi said she will visit Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan to discuss trade, the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, security and “democratic governance.”
She didn’t confirm news reports that she might visit Taiwan, which is claimed by Beijing as its own territory. Chinese President Xi Jinping warned against meddling in Beijing’s dealings with the island in a phone call last week with U.S. President Joe Biden.
In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian reiterated the earlier warnings on Monday, saying “there will be serious consequences if she insists on making the visit.”
He did not spell out any specific consequences. “We are fully prepared for any eventuality,” he said.
“The People’s Liberation Army will never sit by idly. China will take strong and resolute measures to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Pelosi was to attend a cocktail reception later Monday with the American Chamber of Commerce in Singapore. There is no media access to her visit, which has been kept under tight wraps.
She is scheduled to be in Malaysia on Tuesday. A Parliament official, who was not authorized to speak to the media and declined to be identified by name, said Pelosi will call on Malaysian lower house speaker Azhar Azizan Harun. No further details were immediately available.
More at https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/pelosi-lands-in-singapore-to-kick-off-asia-tour/2022/08/01/b71f62a6-1152-11ed-8482-06c1c84ce8f2_story.html
Pelosi's plane escorted by fighter jets kym?
Pelosi’s Asia Itinerary Skips Mention of Taiwan Stopover
US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will visit Asian countries including Singapore and Japan in her trip to the region, according to a statement from her office that skipped any mention of a possible stopover in Taiwan.
Pelosi will lead a congressional delegation that will also visit Malaysia and South Korea, according to a statement on Sunday. The trip will focus on mutual security, economic partnership and democratic governance in the Indo-Pacific region, it said.
Reports that her travel would include a stop in Taiwan had sparked a furious reaction in China, which regards the self-governing island as part of its territory. Beijing has warned there will be consequences if Pelosi visits, including a defense ministry statement that implied China might use military force in response.
China held live-fire military drills in the Taiwan Strait on Saturday. The exercises took place off the coast of Fujian province opposite Taiwan.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-07-31/pelosi-s-asia-itinerary-skips-mention-of-taiwan-stopover
Aiyah just shoot down her plane and ignite ww3, mai jjww so much