US, China Deploy Military Forces Near Taiwan Ahead of Pelosi Trip

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) leaves the Shangri-La Hotel after a reception organised by the American Chamber of Commerce in Singapore on Aug. 1, 2022. Roslan Rahman/AFP via Getty Images

China and the United States both deployed military forces to the region around Taiwan on Aug. 1 following Chinese threats of a military attack in response to a proposed visit to Taiwan by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) announced through state-owned media outlets that it would deploy forces for live-fire exercises in waters north of Taiwan, between mainland China and South Korea. The exercises are the latest in a series of back-to-back Chinese drills in the region. However, they’re notable in that the announcement was accompanied by footage of China’s DF-17 hypersonic missile.

Dubbed the “aircraft carrier killer,” the DF-17 is a nuclear-capable ballistic missile fitted with a hypersonic glide vehicle that allows its payload to glide in low orbit at great speed before plunging down on its target. The footage released this week marks the first time ever that a live fire recording of the weapon has been released.

The United States announced that it was moving a carrier strike group and air support closer to Taiwan. The USS Ronald Reagan is typically stationed at Yokosuka, Japan, and is moving back into the South China Sea after making a five-day port call in Singapore last week.

Pelosi to Visit Taiwan

Pelosi is currently on a tour of Indo-Pacific nations, including Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, and South Korea. However, what has made the trip remarkable is her plan to visit Taiwan, which has been the target of CCP military harassment and intimidation for years.

Taiwanese media outlets have reported that unidentified Taiwanese officials confirmed that Pelosi is likely to stop in Taiwan on Aug. 2 or Aug. 3.

The Chinese regime stated on Aug. 1 that its military would “not sit idly by” if Pelosi were to visit the island. Earlier, the CCP also threatened “forceful measures” against the United States and Taiwan should Pelosi visit. Just one day after the threat, U.S. President Joe Biden said the military believed that the trip was “not a good idea.”

The parsing of the sentence made it unclear whether Biden himself believed it was a bad idea for Pelosi to visit Taiwan based on military intelligence or if he was merely repeating warnings given to him by military leadership.

Pelosi subsequently said Biden may have meant that the military was concerned that China would shoot down her plane.

A man stands in front of a glass cabinet displaying the Global Times newspaper that features a front page article about U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's Asia tour in Beijing on Aug. 1, 2022. The front page headline reads: "Pelosi visits Asia in the smell of gunpowder." REUTERS/Thomas Peter

Chinese state-owned media outlets have since stated that China should do just that.

“If U.S. fighter jets escort Pelosi’s plane into Taiwan, it is invasion,” Hu Xijin, former editor-in-chief of the state-owned Global Times, wrote on Twitter.

“[China’s military] has the right to forcibly dispel Pelosi’s plane and the US fighter jets, including firing warning shots and making tactical movement of obstruction. If ineffective, then shoot them down.”

The comment was subsequently removed by Twitter for promoting violence.

The post was just the latest in increasingly bellicose and, at times, outright hostile rhetoric emanating from the regime in Beijing, which security experts have suggested betrays a deep insecurity among Chinese leadership about the CCP’s standing on the world stage.

In a similar vein, Chinese communist leader Xi Jinping told Biden during a July 28 phone call that the United States was “playing with fire” if it continues relations with Taiwan. In another, China’s defense minister threatened to “start a war no matter the cost” to prevent the world from recognizing Taiwan’s independence.

US Support Solidifies Around Pelosi

Despite continued saber rattling from the CCP, U.S. leadership and public figures have come together in support of Pelosi and her visit to Taiwan. The White House has clarified that it will in no way allow Beijing’s intimidation to affect the free movement of elected U.S. officials.

“We shouldn’t be intimidated by that rhetoric or those potential actions,” White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said during an interview with CNN. “This is an important trip for the Speaker to be on and we’re going to do whatever we can to support her.”

The CCP, which currently rules mainland China as a one-party state, maintains that Taiwan is a breakaway province. However, Taiwan has been self-governed since 1949 and has never been controlled by the CCP, having continuously maintained its de facto independence.

The United States doesn’t maintain formal relations with Taiwan but is legally obligated to supply the island with arms for self-defense. Concerning the risk of a Chinese invasion of the island, the United States maintains a policy of so-called strategic ambiguity, in that it doesn’t publicly acknowledge whether it would militarily defend Taiwan.

To that end, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen has vowed to defend Taiwan from Chinese communist aggression and to protect the island’s democratic way of life and thriving market economy.

Pelosi’s visit, despite CCP propaganda, isn’t out of line with U.S. policy or the longstanding realities of unofficial relations between the United States and Taiwan. Sitting members of Congress have previously visited Taiwan to discuss a myriad of issues. A Senate delegation last visited Taiwan in July.

Foreign policy experts view the CCP’s hostile rhetoric as an attempt to influence U.S. policy and behavior in a way that will benefit the CCP’s long-term ambitions.

“President Biden must give full support to this visit,” former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo wrote on Twitter. “Don’t be weak and cave to the demands of petty warmongers and dictators in Beijing. Support the freedom-loving people of Taiwan.”