US warships entered Taiwan today as Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi arrived on the self-governing island that Beijing considers part of China.

While China has announced that its military will launch “targeted military operations” in response to the 82-year-old Pelosi’s visit, the US 7th Fleet said today that the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, which has been in the area since early July, is sailing in Philippine Sea, south of Taiwan.

The USS Ronald Reagan is escorting the destroyer USS Higgins, a US Navy source said on condition of anonymity. The Higgins is a multi-purpose warship equipped with the Aegis combat system, which mainly includes anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles.

The US Navy also released photos of Ronald Reagan conducting an exercise with the supply ship USS Carl Brashear on Sunday.

The aircraft carrier and its crew are “on a routine mission in the Western Pacific,” a US official, who asked not to be named, said.

In addition, the US Marine Corps landing ship Tripoli was also east of Taiwan at the same time, a US Navy spokeswoman said.

The Pentagon assured that the presence of Ronald Reagan and Tripoli in the region was not connected with Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.

“Of course, we are taking all necessary measures to ensure the safety of members of Congress wherever they go,” a US Department of Defense spokesman said today.

Source: APE-MPE, AFP, Reuters, dpa.