Taiwan tensions LIVE: US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi lands in Taipei; Chinese fighter jets cross Taiwan Strait

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi lands in Taiwan

China had earlier said the United States will “pay the price” if House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visits Taiwan during her Asia trip.

Chinese fighter jets crossing Taiwan Strait: Reports

According to local media reports, Chinese fighter jets are crossing Taiwan Strait.

Chinese aircraft presently in Fujian area bordering Taiwan Strait

China has already closed its airspace to Taiwan and Chinese SU-35s presently hover over Taiwan Strait.

Anti-aircraft guns activated at Taiwan airport

Nancy Pelosi set to land in Taipei shortly; China closes airspace to island

US Speaker Nancy Pelosi is set to land in Taipei City shortly and Taiwan jets are escorting her flight. China meanwhile has closed airspace to the island.

Security barricades set up in front of Taipei hotel – Pelosi set to stay there overnight?

Security barricades have reportedly been set up in front of the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Taipei City. Media reports speculate that US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the delegation accompanying her will arrive in Taiwan on Tuesday evening and stay overnight.

US jet carrying Nancy Pelosi may presently be world’s most tracked aircraft

As per data from FlightRadar24, around 300,000 users are following every move of -SPAR19′ – the US Air Force-operated Boeing C-40C that took off from Kuala Lumpur with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on board.

Pelosi leaves from Malaysia, believed to be headed to Taiwan

According to an AP report quoting unnamed official sources, the plane carrying Pelosi and her delegation left from a Malaysian air force base after a brief stopover that included a lunch meeting with Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob. Pelosi is on an Asian tour this week that is being closely watched to see if she will defy China’s warnings against visiting Taiwan.It was unclear where she was headed from Malaysia, but local media in Taiwan reported that she would arrive on Tuesday night,

Taiwan government’s website down with 502 server error

The Taiwan government’s website was down with 502 server error. An earlier Reuters report quoting sources also said that the website of Taiwan’s presidential office had received an overseas cyber attack on Tuesday and briefly malfunctioning

Fuming China preps for military response; US Navy deploys four warships east of Taiwan

Following news of the rumoured visit, several Chinese warplanes flew close to the median line dividing the Taiwan Strait and Chinese warships sailed near the unofficial dividing line. Visuals shared online also showed armoured vehicles on the move – purportedly in the southern Chinese city of Xiamen.
Meanwhile, four US warships, including an aircraft carrier, were positioned in waters east of Taiwan on what the Navy called routine deployments on Tuesday.

Why is Pelosi’s visit of significance? What is the present US policy on Taiwan?

If she lands in Taiwan, Nancy Pelosi will become the highest-ranking elected US official to visit in more than 25 years. The last House Speaker to visit Taiwan was Newt Gingrich in 1997. American officials often make discreet visits to Taiwan, this would far exceed recent shows of support. Reports indicate that she is going to Taiwan with scheduled meetings with government officials at the self-governed island that China threatens to forcefully takeover.

While the Biden administration is understood to be opposed to a Taiwan stop, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Pelosi was entitled to go where she pleased. Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan was previously been postponed in April after she tested positive for COVID-19.

Kirby however said that US policy towards Taiwan remained unchanged. This means support for its self-ruling government, while diplomatically recognising Beijing over Taipei and opposing a formal independence declaration by Taiwan or a forceful takeover by China.

Russia condemns potential Pelosi visit to Taiwan as ‘provocation’

Moscow on Tuesday denounced a potential visit by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan as a provocation, expressing full solidarity with ally China.

“What is connected with this tour and a possible visit to Taiwan is a pure provocation. We want to emphasise once again that we are absolutely in solidarity with China, its attitude towards the problem is understandable and absolutely justified,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

He said the potential visit was leading to an “increase in tension” in the region and accused Washington of choosing “the path of confrontation”.

What has China said so far?

China has warned that its military will ‘not sit idly by’ if Pelosi visits Taiwan. Foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said that it would be “a gross interference in China’s internal affairs” if the visit takes place and warned that it would lead to “very serious developments and consequences.” China views visits by US officials to Taiwan as sending an encouraging signal to the pro-independence camp in the island.

“We would like to tell the United States once again that China is standing by, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army will never sit idly by, and China will take resolute responses and strong countermeasures to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Zhao told a regular daily briefing.

Will Nancy Pelosi visit Taiwan?

US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi kicked off a closely-watched Asia tour on Monday in Singapore as China warned that its military would never “sit idly by” if she were to visit Taiwan. Amid widespread speculation over whether she would make a stop in Taiwan, Pelosi’s office announced on Sunday that she was leading a Congressional delegation to the region that would include visits to Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan. It did not mention Taiwan. Despite the lack of official confirmation however, numerous reports quoting unnamed US and Taiwanese officials have said that Pelosi is likely to touch down in Taipei later today.