Taiwan Strait on the boil as US, Beijing and Taipei put military on high alert
- Taiwan media reports armed forces ordered to be combat ready in case of cross-strait threats from the Chinese PLA
- Beijing announces military training in South China Sea, declares area off limits
The China Maritime Safety Administration announced military training in South China Sea waters from Tuesday to Saturday, with entry to the area prohibited. Meanwhile, live-fire drills that started in the northern Bohai Sea on Monday will continue until Thursday.
Reports also suggested that Chinese aircraft carriers the Liaoning and Shandong had left their home ports in eastern and southern provinces, and pictures circulating on social media showed troops gathering in the southeastern coastal city of Xiamen, just 5.5km west of Taipei-controlled Quemoy island, also called Kinmen.
PLA’s 95th year festivities upstaged by Pelosi’s likely Taiwan plans
Xiamen resident and seafood restaurant owner Chen Jinhuo, 50, said he had seen a few dozen military vehicles of various types roll into the city and head towards its main ring road since Sunday.
Chen also said he saw “about a hundred” armoured vehicles parked on the main ring road when he drove by on Monday.
Huang Bo, 45, a cafeteria owner, said he saw a crane called in on Monday to tow away an armoured infantry vehicle that had suffered a breakdown.
However, even though a lot of the military assets reportedly seen in Xiamen seem to be real fighting vehicles, those will not take on a major role in case of a military assault on Taiwan, Hong Kong-based military commentator Leung Kwok-leung said.
“The display of tanks and some long-range rockets is surely a warning signal, but the real things that are not shown are the missiles, military planes and landing craft, which are still kept at classified locations. Those are likely to feature in the first round of strikes,” Leung said.
05:54
‘I’m not too worried’: Taipei residents react to planned visit by US House Speaker Pelosi
Four US warships, including the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, were positioned in waters east of Taiwan.
The Japanese-based USS Reagan is operating with a guided missile cruiser and a destroyer, Reuters reported, citing an unnamed US Navy official. An amphibious US assault ship is also in the area as part of a deployment to the region that started in early May, the report said.
Meanwhile, the Taiwanese military issued an order early on Tuesday for armed forces to be combat ready from 8am on Tuesday to 12pm on Thursday to deal with any threats from the People’s Liberation Army, local media reports said.
Beijing on alert as jet that carried Pelosi to Malaysia leaves Kuala Lumpur
The United Daily News in Taipei quoted unnamed military sources as saying that the island’s forces were asked to strengthen surveillance operations in the Taiwan Strait and shorten the time of preparedness for any combat action in the case of cross-strait PLA moves.
The Liberty Times, another Taipei-based newspaper, said the island’s military sent eight Mirage-2000 fighter jets to reinforce the four others already stationed at the air force base in Taitung, eastern Taiwan.
Also quoting unnamed military officials, the Liberty Times said the US military plane carrying Pelosi was likely to land at Taipei’s Songshan airport at 10.20pm on Tuesday, after entering its air space through eastern Taiwan.
The Taiwanese defence ministry has yet to respond to requests to confirm the reports about Pelosi’s visit, and the government in Taipei has also been tight-lipped on the issue.
00:59
Blinken calls on China not to ‘escalate tensions’ over Pelosi’s potential Taiwan visit
The US House of Representatives speaker, accompanied by five other US Congress members, began her Asia tour on Monday with a stop in Singapore. She met Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who underscored the importance of stable US-China relations. Pelosi then arrived in Malaysia earlier on Tuesday, the second stop on an official four-nation trip that will also take her to South Korea and Japan.
There was no mention of Taiwan in Pelosi’s official itinerary released on Sunday, but the strong supporter of the democratically run island and vocal Beijing critic has long been reported to be planning a stop in Taipei.
Local media reports said she would stay overnight after landing on Tuesday, and meet Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and other senior national security officials before leaving for South Korea on Wednesday.
03:13
Xi warns Biden that US ‘playing with fire’ as tensions soar over Pelosi’s proposed Taiwan visit
Beijing has repeatedly warned Pelosi, who is second in line to the US presidency, against visiting the island, vowing to take “forceful measures” if the trip goes ahead.
Under its one-China principle, Beijing sees Taiwan as breakaway territory awaiting reunification, by force if necessary. Most countries, including the US, do not recognise self-governed Taiwan as a sovereign state. While Washington acknowledges the one-China principle, it is against any attempt to take the island by force.
