More than 20 Chinese fighter jets flew into Taiwan’s air defence zone on Tuesday, soon after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived at the self-ruled island that Beijing considers its territory.
“21 PLA aircraft ... entered #Taiwan's southwest ADIZ on August 2, 2022,” Taiwan’s defence ministry said in a statement.
The ADIZ (air defence identification zone) is not the same as Taiwan’s territorial airspace but includes a far greater area that overlaps with part of China's own air defence identification zone and even includes some of the mainland.
Pelosi arrived aboard a US Air Force passenger jet and was greeted on the tarmac at Taipei's international airport by Taiwan's foreign minister and other Taiwanese and American officials. She posed for photos before her motorcade whisked her unseen into the parking garage of a hotel.
Her visit has ratcheted up tension between China and the United States because China claims Taiwan as part of its territory, and it views visits by foreign government officials as recognition of the island's sovereignty.
In a statement issued just after her arrival, Pelosi said the visit "honors America's unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwan's vibrant democracy."
The Biden administration did not explicitly urge Pelosi to call off her plans. It repeatedly and publicly assured Beijing that the visit would not signal any change in US policy on Taiwan.
Soon after Pelosi's arrival, China announced a series of military operations and drills, which followed promises of "resolute and strong measures" if Pelosi went through with her visit.
The People's Liberation Army said the maneuvers would take place starting Tuesday night in the waters and skies near Taiwan and include the firing of long-range ammunition in the Taiwan Strait.
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"This action is 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."
China's official Xinhua News said the army planned to conduct live-fire drills from Aug. 4 to 7 across multiple locations. In an image the news agency released, the drills were to take place in six different areas in the waters surrounding Taiwan.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Washington's betrayal "on the Taiwan issue is bankrupting its national credibility."
"Some American politicians are playing with fire on the issue of Taiwan," Wang said in a statement. "This will definitely not have a good outcome ... The exposure of America's bullying face again shows it as the world's biggest saboteur of peace."
Back in the United States, 26 Republican lawmakers issued a statement of rare bipartisan support for the Democratic speaker. The statement called trips by members of Congress to Taiwan routine.
China, which regards Taiwan as a renegade province to be annexed by force if necessary, repeatedly warned of retaliation, saying its military will "never sit idly by."
"The U.S. And Taiwan have colluded to make provocations first, and China has only been compelled to act out of self-defense," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told reporters in Beijing.
Shortly after Pelosi's arrival, a representative of the Chinese legislature's Standing Committee issued a statement saying the trip "severely violated" the 'One China principle,' which is Beijing's claim to be the sole government of both mainland China and Taiwan.
China's military threats have driven concerns about a new crisis in the 100-mile-wide (140-kilometer) Taiwan Strait that could roil global markets and supply chains.
The White House on Monday decried Beijing's rhetoric, saying the U.S. Has no interest in deepening tensions with China and "will not take the bait or engage in saber rattling."
