Several Chinese Air Force fighter jets flew up to an imaginary line in the middle of the Taiwan Strait, and the speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosiis expected to visit Taipei today.

Chinese warships have been near an unofficial buffer zone in the strait since Monday, according to a source cited by Reuters. The Taiwanese government sent military aircraft to the area to monitor the situation.

Despite China’s repeated warnings against the visit, Ms. Pelosi is expected to arrive on the island later that day, and Washington says it will not be intimidated by threats of military force from Beijing.

According to the Taiwanese newspaper Liberty Times, the American delegation led by Pelosi is expected to arrive on the island at 22:20 local time (17:20 Greek time).

The Democratic House Speaker’s official Asian tour schedule mentions her visits to Malaysia, South Korea and Japan, but does not mention her stop in Taiwan.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taipei did not comment on the possible visit.

Ignorance from USA

The White House remains silent on the possibility of Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, as it does not confirm or deny the trip, simply pointing out that the Speaker of the House of Representatives has the “right” to visit the island.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said he was not aware of the intentions of Pelosi, who is on tour in Asia, stressing that any initiative she takes to visit Taiwan is entirely her “personal decision.”

The head of US diplomacy stressed, however, that Washington expects Beijing to respond responsibly and refrain from actions that would escalate tensions if Nancy Pelosi ends up visiting Taiwan.

“Not knowing” whether the speaker of the House of Representatives will visit Taiwan, said White House national security spokesman John Kirby. “We will not bite or intimidate,” he said, adding that nothing has changed in US policy towards Taiwan.

A delicate balance between the US and China

The news of Pelosi’s intention to visit the island angered China, which considers it its territory and declared that it would not even hesitate to seize it by force in order to put it under its complete control. Taiwan’s roughly 23 million people have lived with the possibility of a Chinese invasion for years, but that threat has intensified under Xi Jinping’s presidency.

The US maintains a policy of “strategic uncertainty” about whether it will intervene militarily in the event of a Chinese invasion. Although they do not diplomatically recognize Taiwan independence, they support Taiwan’s democratically elected government and oppose any forced regime change on the self-governing island.

Last week, the US and Chinese presidents had a high-profile phone call dominated by differences over Taiwan, with Xi Jinping warning Joe Biden not to “play with fire.”

The scenarios for Pelosi’s possible visit to Taipei coincided with an increase in Chinese military activity in the region, highlighting the tense situation.

Source: APE-MPE-Reuters