Both China & US deploy warships near Taiwan strait

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has landed in Taipei, Taiwan . According to Taiwanese media reports, Taiwan Air Force fighter jets escorted a US government special flight carrying House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. She is set to become the highest-ranking elected US official to visit the island in more than 25 years.

In meantime China and the US have warned and held each other responsible of any consequences as tensions around the Taiwan island region  following  of the US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s   visit to the democratically governed island, claimed by China as its province.  

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying who is also Assistant Foreign Minister repeated China’s rhetoric  at regular press briefing in Beijing saying that the US side will certainly shoulder the responsibility and pay the price for undermining China’s sovereignty and security interests. 

Chinese spokespersons have been issuing warnings of military action since the report of Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan surfaced. Ms. Hua also said that Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi has no plan to meet with US Secretary of State Blinken at the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Phnom Penh which



will take place from Aug. 3 to 5. Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden held a phone call last Thursday. Beijing's readout said he had warned the U.S. president not to "play with fire" over Taiwan while US officials said Biden told Xi that Pelosi has "the right to visit Taiwan" and promised that her safety would be ensured throughout her trip.

According to media reports, the military deployment from the Chinese side, US and Taiwan have continued to build up in the region, increasing the tensions and possibility of a miscalculation.  

Four US warships, including an aircraft carrier, were positioned in waters east of the island. on the other hand Chinese planes flew close to the median line dividing  Taiwan Strait this morning and several Chinese warships had remained close to the unofficial dividing line since Monday ,while Taiwanese aircraft were on standby nearby .

 

Neither side's aircraft normally cross the median line  The Japanese Defence Forces said Chinese warships also carried out drills to simulate attacks on carrier-borne aircraft in waters east of Taiwan. The ships had been tracked sailing through Japan's southern islands at the weekend.