Chinese Military Releases Missile-Strike Video ahead of Pelosi’s Expected Trip to Taiwan
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The Chinese military posted a missile-strike video Monday, one day before Nancy Pelosi is reportedly planning to set foot in Taiwan, amid threats from Chinese government officials warning the House speaker’s trip to the island would result in “serious consequences.”
The video, posted by the Eastern Theater Command on state media sites, shows tanks and soldiers standing in formation, armed soldiers running through the woods, missiles launching into the sky, and the military conducting exercises with warships and fighter planes.
China has repeatedly warned the U.S. against allowing Pelosi to visit Taiwan, with the Chinese foreign minister reissuing a warning Monday that the Chinese military will “never sit idly by” if Pelosi flies to Taiwan.
A Chinese propagandist called on Friday for Pelosi’s plane to be shot down if she was accompanied by U.S. fighter jets on her trip to Taiwan, should the jets ignore warnings to leave the contested airspace.
“If US fighter jets escort Pelosi’s plane into Taiwan, it is invasion. The PLA has the right to forcibly dispel Pelosi’s plane and the US fighter jets, including firing warning shots and making tactical movement of obstruction,” Hu Xijin, a reporter for the Chinese Communist Party-controlled Global Times, said on Twitter.
Pelosi’s office confirmed Sunday that she would be traveling with a delegation to Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, and Japan. She met with Singaporean prime minister Lee Hsien Loong on Monday to discuss economic ties, climate change, and cross-strait relations.
Pelosi has been hesitant to provide details about her trip, and her office did not say whether she would be visiting Taiwan, amid speculation she would visit the island.
Two sources briefed on the matter, however, told Reuters that she is “set to visit Taiwan on Tuesday,” and the largest three newspapers in Taiwan — United Daily News, Liberty Times and China Times — all reported she would be spending Tuesday night in Taipei, according to the New York Post.
President Joe Biden has not given a direct order to Pelosi about her trip, telling reporters “the military thinks it’s not a good idea right now.” He also told Chinese president Xi Jinping on Thursday that the U.S. stands firm behind its “One China Policy,” implying he acknowledges the Chinese position that Taiwan is a part of China.
National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters Monday that the U.S. “does not support Taiwan independence.”
