HOW TAIWAN AND CHINA SEE THINGS
STATS OF THE DAY
CHINA launched missiles into Taiwanese and Japanese waters yesterday as tensions over Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei threatened to boil over into all-out war.
This in turn prompted Taiwan’s military to declare it is “preparing for war without seeking it”.
In addition to conducting large-scale wargames, China has also halted the exports of some goods from Taiwan, including sand (a key construction material), citrus fruits and some types of fish.
China and Taiwan have been at odds ever since the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949.
Following the victory of Mao Tse-Tung’s communists, defeated nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek and his troops fled to Taiwan, where they have dominated the island’s politics since. China still considers Taiwan to be part of its territory and in recent years has been using its economic clout to pressure other nations to end their diplomatic recognition of Taiwan.
While the official United States policy towards Taiwan has been one of deliberate ‘strategic ambiguity’, senior Democrat Pelosi made a speech saying that America’s commitment to Taiwan’s democracy was “ironclad”.
This infuriated Beijing, which is already at odds with the US over several territorial claims in the Pacific region.
Fire
Pelosi is the highest-ranking US politician to visit Taiwan since 1997 and her arrival sparked a furious reaction from Beijing, with foreign minister Wang Yi warning that US politicians who “play with fire” would “come to no good end”.
Wednesday’s visit came as something of a surprise as it had not been set in stone as part of Pelosi’s Asian trip. In July, US President Joe Biden had said of the rumoured trip that “the military thinks it’s not a good idea right now”.
Despite the controversy, Pelosi went anyway and received a warm welcome from the Taiwanese with only a small number of pro-China protesters voicing dissent.
In response to the People’s Liberation Army’s wargames, US secretary of state Anthony Blinken said the US is opposed to unilateral efforts to change the status of Taiwan, especially through force.
Force
The Russian government has referred to Nancy Pelosi’s visit as an “unnecessary provocation” and affirmed China’s right to conduct such military exercises.
US defence officials have been warning that China may well invade Taiwan in the next 18 months.
According to US intelligence sources, the Red Army will invade the island during a year-and-a-half window between two elections - the meeting of the National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party in November and the US presidential election in 2024.
One former senior intelligence official told Fox News: “We have always had and always been aware that China has an ever-present plan for a military invasion of Taiwan.
“If they are not successful in reunifying politically, then they will do so with force.” He says “indefinite” intelligence points to the window being within the next 18 months.