The plane with the speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday, August 2, landed at the Taipei airport in Taiwan. Meanwhile, the media reported that Chinese and American fighter jets headed towards the island.
The Chinese television channel CGTN reported that the Chinese fighters at the time of the plane’s approach from Pelosi crossed taiwan strait towards the island. According to Japanese media, American fighters simultaneously took off from bases in Japan.
“Our delegation’s visit to Taiwan demonstrates America’s unwavering commitment to supporting a vibrant Taiwanese democracy. Our discussions with the leadership of Taiwan reaffirm our partner’s support and advance our common interests, including advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific,” Pelosi wrote after landing.
“Our visit is one of several congressional delegations to Taiwan and in no way conflicts with the longstanding policy of the United States,” she said.
Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan was not on the official agenda
According to the Sanli TV channel, the American Delegation led by Pelosi to spend the night at the Grand Hyatt in Taipei, where security measures have already been tightened. Reuters reported, citing sources, that Pelosi plans to meet with a group of Taiwanese public figures at the National Museum of Human Rights in New Taipei, as well as Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen.
Pelosi’s Asian tour began on July 31st. Visits to Malaysia, Singapore, Japan and South Korea were officially announced in the program of the trip. Taiwan was not on this list, but the US media reported on Pelosi’s plans to visit the island. Chinese President Xi Jinping, during a telephone conversation with US President Joe Biden, warned the United States against “playing with fire” regarding Washington’s position on Taiwan.
Pelosi’s visit sparks controversy in China
This is the first time in 25 years that a speaker of the US House of Representatives has visited Taiwan.China has threatened the US “strong measures to protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity” of the PRC if the speaker of the US House of Representatives visits Taiwan, which Beijing considers its breakaway province. The United States does not officially recognize Taiwan’s independence, but advocates sharply against Chinese threats to annex the island by force.
At the same time, the White House opposed such a trip, since it could aggravate relations with China, US media reported, citing sources. “The military doesn’t think it’s a good idea right now,” Biden told reporters about Pelosi’s trip. Her visit does not signify a change in Washington’s policy on the status of Taiwan, said John Kirby, coordinator for strategic communications at the National Security Council.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken pointed out that the Congress is independent of the White House, an equal branch of government, so the decision to travel is “completely up to the speaker.”
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Diplomacy of artificial islands
Military airfield in sea waters
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Diplomacy of artificial islands
New land in no man’s waters
Haven Reef is located on the northern side of the Spratly archipelago. Thanks to dredging work, since March 2014, more than 115 thousand square meters of new land have appeared here. Specialists in international law regard this as an attempt by China to gain a foothold in the region de facto. However, from a legal point of view, artificial islands cannot be the basis for territorial claims.
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Diplomacy of artificial islands
Construction at an accelerated pace
Satellite images from 2014 show that construction on the Haven Reef is progressing rapidly. In just six months, a new artificial island appeared. The photo on the left was taken in March, showing an almost untouched reef with a small artificial platform in the upper part of the picture. In the photo on the right – an almost finished object in August. Signatures from top to bottom: original structure; artificial island; dredging channel.
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Diplomacy of artificial islands
The politics of symbolic messages
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Diplomacy of artificial islands
Standard building scheme
It seems that the Chinese specialists in the construction of artificial islands have developed a standard scheme for the construction of such facilities. Evidence of this is the similarity between the results of work on the reefs of Haven and Hughes. A giant floating dredging platform can operate non-stop around the clock, pouring soil from the bottom of the sea onto the expanding surface part of the artificial island.
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Diplomacy of artificial islands
Philippines are trying to protest
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Diplomacy of artificial islands
Desperate Resistance
In 1999, the Philippines sent the USS Sierra Madre to Thomas Second Atoll (Ayungin Atoll) and deliberately ran it aground there. Since then, the slowly rusting ship has been guarded by a team of Filipino navies tasked with holding back Chinese expansion. In the long run, the odds are clearly not on their side.
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Diplomacy of artificial islands
Territorial dispute in the South China Sea
China has launched large-scale dredging to artificially increase the surface of some islands in the disputed Spratly archipelago. In addition to China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei claim its separate parts. The region is of great strategic importance and is rich in hydrocarbon deposits. The blue dotted line on the map marks the area China claims as its own.
Author: Rodion Ebbighausen, Alexander Delfinov
