"We will not take the bait or engage in sabre rattling. disregard of China's repeated and serious representations, any countermeasures taken by the Chinese side will be justified and necessary, which is also the right of any independent and sovereign country," spokesperson Hua Chunying told a daily briefing in Beijing.īeijing's responses could include firing missiles near Taiwan, large-scale air or naval activities, or further "spurious legal claims" such as China's assertion that the Taiwan Strait is not an international waterway, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters in Washington on Monday. Taiwan's foreign ministry said it had no comment on reports of Pelosi's travel plans.Ĭhina's foreign ministry reiterated its opposition to a Taiwan visit by Pelosi. Her office said she will also go to South Korea and Japan, but made no mention of a Taiwan visit. Most of Pelosi's planned meetings, including with President Tsai Ing-wen, were scheduled for Wednesday, a person familiar with her itinerary said.įour sources said Pelosi was scheduled to meet a group of activists who are outspoken about China's human rights record on Wednesday afternoon.Įarlier on Tuesday, Pelosi visited Malaysia, having begun her Asia tour in Singapore on Monday.
In the southeastern Chinese city of Xiamen, which lies opposite Taiwan and is home to a large military presence, residents reported sightings of armoured vehicles on the move on Tuesday and posted pictures online, which could not immediately be verified by Reuters.Ĭhinese social media was abuzz with both trepidation about potential conflict and patriotic fervour, and the topic of Pelosi's visit was the top-trending item on the Twitter-like Weibo.
#Modern warships and modern warplanes full
Taiwan's Defence Ministry said in a statement it has a full grasp of military activities near Taiwan and will appropriately dispatch forces in reaction to "enemy threats".Ĭhina's defense and foreign ministries did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Neither side's aircraft normally cross the median line. The Chinese planes left the area in the afternoon but the ships remained, the person said. The Chinese aircraft repeatedly conducted tactical moves of briefly "touching" the median line and circling back to the other side of the strait on Tuesday morning, while Taiwanese aircraft were on standby nearby, the person said. The source said both Chinese warships and aircraft "squeezed" the median line on Tuesday morning, an unusual move the person described as "very provocative." In addition to Chinese planes flying close to the median line of the strait, several Chinese warships sailed near the unofficial dividing line since Monday, the source told Reuters. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi was expected to arrive in Taipei later on Tuesday, people briefed on the matter said, as several Chinese warplanes flew close to the median line dividing the Taiwan Strait, a source told Reuters.Ĭhina has repeatedly warned against Pelosi going to Taiwan, which it claims as its own, while the United States said on Monday that it would not be intimidated by Chinese "sabre rattling".
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