The United States practices a so-called “strategic ambiguity” diplomacy with regard to Taiwan, consisting in recognizing only one Chinese government, that of Beijing, while continuing to provide decisive support to Taipei but refraining from saying whether or not they would militarily defend the island in the event of an invasion.
But now, the president of the House of Representatives of the United States, Nancy Pelosi, began her Asian tour on Monday, maintaining the vagueness around a stopover in Taiwan. And while delegations of American officials travel to Taiwan frequently to express their support, a visit by Nancy Pelosi, one of the state’s most senior figures and a heavyweight in American political life, would be unprecedented since that of her predecessor. Newt Gingrich in 1997.
Chinese military ‘will not sit idly by’
Proof of this is that for weeks, tensions between the United States and China have increased following reports that Nancy Pelosi could visit the island, which China considers to be part of its territory. “If the Speaker of the House of Representatives […] travels to Taiwan, China will certainly take firm and energetic countermeasures to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity, ”even warned again on Monday a spokesman for Chinese diplomacy, Zhao Lijian. The Chinese military “will not sit idly by”, he warned.
Without mentioning Taiwan in his itinerary. Nancy Pelosi announced on Sunday that she was leading “a congressional delegation to the Indo-Pacific region to reaffirm America’s unwavering commitment to its allies and friends in the region.” And a visit to Taiwan by this central figure of President Joe Biden’s Democratic majority would singularly complicate the task of American diplomacy, which is trying not to poison relations with China. It would also come at a time when military tension is mounting in the region.
All-round military exercises
On Monday, 4,000 American and Indonesian soldiers thus began an important military exercise, but Washington assured that these maneuvers were not aimed at any country. The Taiwanese military for its part carried out its most important annual military exercises last week, which included simulations of intercepting Chinese attacks. At the same time, the American aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and its flotilla left Singapore heading for the South China Sea on a scheduled mission, according to the US Navy.
On Saturday, as a response, China organized a “live ammunition” military exercise in the Taiwan Strait – very close to the Chinese coast, however.
Washington sought to downplay the importance of a possible visit by Nancy Pelosi and called on Chinese leaders for calm. “We have many differences when it comes to Taiwan, but over the past 40 years we have managed those differences and done so in a way that has preserved peace and stability,” the Secretary of State said on Friday. US State Antony Blinken.
In Singapore, the first leg of the American tour, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong called on Nancy Pelosi to work for “stable” relations with Beijing. A meeting with the president of the city-state is also planned. Last week, during a telephone interview with Joe Biden, Chinese President Xi Jinping called on his counterpart not to “play with fire”.