Ambassador’s call
The Chinese Foreign Ministry summoned the US Ambassador to Beijing, Nicholas Burns. It has been fiercely protested in connection with the Taiwan visit of the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi.
Xie Feng, Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister, said that Pelosi challenged the world and deliberately acted as a provocation by violating the “One China” principle.
According to him, the American government should be held responsible and “pay for its mistakes”. Chinese officials demand that the American side take measures to “eliminate the negative consequences” of Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.
“The United States must pay for its mistakes. Taiwan is a Chinese island and will eventually return to the arms of the Motherland. China will take the necessary measures to resist resolutely and we will keep our word,” the Chinese official promised.
According to TASS, the diplomat said anyone trying to manipulate the “Taiwan problem” will eventually fail and be “nailed to the shameful pillar of history”.
US response
John Kirby, strategic communications coordinator for the White House National Security Council, said Nancy Pelosi has the right to visit Taiwan.
“The Speaker of the US House of Representatives has the right to visit Taiwan, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives has previously visited Taiwan without incident. The Speaker said at a briefing that the US administration has not confirmed its plans to visit Taiwan. and we will continue to advocate for an open Indo-Pacific and strive to maintain communication with Beijing.”
In response, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that if tensions escalate due to Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, the responsibility would fall entirely on China’s leadership.
China cannot resist
China can no longer fail to retaliate of some kind, but will try not to provoke a conflict. Such an opinion was expressed by an influential Japanese expert, Tsuneo Watanabe, in a meeting with RIA Novosti.
“Now China has two options. China has said it will take some form of military intervention. Otherwise, it will be considered that the Xi Jinping administration has given up. So they can’t do anything. “But even if the risks increase and a war starts as a result, it will be a minus for him as well,” he said.
There may not be a full-blown war, Watanabe said, but rising tensions are likely to hurt the economy.
“So now China will take some military actions that could be a signal to the United States and Taiwan, but at the same time, it’s very well thought out how to do this so that these military actions don’t lead to a conflict.” Expert added.
dangerous exercises
Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense previously reported that 21 aircraft belonging to the People’s Liberation Army of China (PLA) were found in the air defense identification area in the southwest of the island, RIA Novosti reported.
The detachment saw eight J-11 fighters, ten J-16 multirole fighters, a KJ-500 airborne early warning and control aircraft, a Y-9 electronic warfare aircraft and a Y-8 electronic reconnaissance aircraft.
Taiwan sent an air patrol to the area to monitor the flight of the Chinese fleet, in addition, anti-aircraft missile systems were deployed.
Shortly before that, the PRC Air Force sent Su-35 fighters into the Taiwan Strait. The Taiwan Strait area has been closed to civilian aircraft by the PRC authorities. The United States sent eight F-15 fighters from an airbase on the Japanese island of Okinawa to accompany Pelosi.
threat of blockade
Military expert Alexei Leonkov told RIA Novosti that under the guise of announced military exercises, Beijing could arrange a full naval and air blockade of Taiwan.
“China has a fully prepared military capacity for this. Under the guise of exercises, they can close the entire sea area around Taiwan and ships cannot enter the ports of the island. They can set a no-fly zone around the island. “Beijing will emphasize that Washington has taken unfriendly steps and is forcing China to take such steps,” he said.
Initial sanctions
Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL), the world’s largest Chinese electric vehicle battery manufacturer, postponed its multibillion-dollar North American plant decision due to Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, Bloomberg reports.
China’s CATL’s share of the global EV battery market in the first half of 2022 increased from 28.8% a year ago to 34.8%, and the company is the absolute leader in the top ten competitors.
The facility could create up to 10,000 jobs in the United States.
USA ready to attack
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich told Fox News during Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan that US troops would attack the Chinese military in case of Chinese military intervention.
He added that the Chinese authorities are unlikely to notice their threat, as they understand that the states and their allies will respond decisively.
“In the worst case, if they shoot down their plane, that would be an act of genuine aggression. And we have no choice but to launch a massive retaliatory strike,” Gingrich said.
He added that in addition to military retaliation, the United States, along with Australia and Japan, will completely isolate China and paralyze its economy by halting exports and imports.