Chinese military forces Pelosi’s plane to make detour, PLA general says

Beijing’s tracking and surveillance push US House speaker to head east of the Philippines on the way to Taiwan, according to Major General Meng Xiangqing
Meng says the PLA’s announcement of drills off the coast of the island caused the USS Ronald Reagan carrier strike group to back away

Taiwan

Liu Zhen

Published: 8:04pm, 5 Aug 2022

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The Chinese military’s actions forced the plane of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to make a detour on her way to Taiwan, according to a PLA general.

The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) on Tuesday conducted “full tracking and surveillance” of the US Air Force C-40 transport aircraft that carried Pelosi to Taiwan from Kuala Lumpur, forcing it to detour east of the Philippines instead of cutting over the South China Sea, according to Major General Meng Xiangqing, a professor at the National Defence University, the PLA’s top academy.

“Our troops deployed in multiple locations became a deterrent to [the plane],” Meng told state broadcaster CCTV, adding that the PLA had staged naval and air forces in areas south of Taiwan, including the Bashi Channel.

But Meng did not elaborate on what measures the PLA took for the “tracking and surveillance”.

Chinese army scrambles fighter jets across Taiwan Strait

Meng also said the PLA’s announcement of an exercise off the east coast of Taiwan had forced the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier strike group, which was near the area to protect Pelosi, to sail hundreds of kilometres east of the island.

The PLA drills around Taiwan, unprecedented in scale, were launched in retaliation for Pelosi’s visit, which ended on Wednesday. She was the highest-ranking US official to visit the self-governed island in 25 years.

Within hours of Pelosi’s departure, the PLA launched an estimated 11 ballistic missiles towards the waters surrounding the island and dispatched over 100 warplanes and more than 10 warships.

The PLA’s two aircraft carriers, the Liaoning and the Shandong, have left their home ports, according to media reports.

Meng also referred to the “first-ever deterrence exercises by the PLA aircraft carrier strike group, with the participation of nuclear submarines”, without specifying when the drills would take place.

02:46

Mainland China launches largest military drill in the Taiwan Strait after Pelosi’s visit

The US military has strengthened its aerial intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations near the island.

At least two US RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft, three P-8A maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft, one E-3G early warning and control aircraft and one U-2S high-altitude reconnaissance and surveillance aircraft were active close to the drill locations, supported by six KC-135 tankers, according to Beijing-based think tank SCSPI’s open-source aircraft tracking data.

To manage the heightening tensions, the US military has postponed a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile test originally scheduled for this week at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

“We do not believe it is in our interest, Taiwan’s or the region’s interest to allow tensions to escalate further,” said National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby.

China military operations around Taiwan show intent to change status quo: US

The Biden administration has insisted its stance on Taiwan remains unchanged, though Beijing said Pelosi’s visit had undermined the one-China policy recognising Taiwan as part of China – a core demand of Beijing’s diplomacy. Washington has long had a policy of “strategic ambiguity” on Taiwan.

The White House has reportedly urged Senate Democrats not to move forward with legislation that would name Taiwan a “major non-Nato ally”.

The bipartisan bill would also provide US$4.5 billion in security aid to Taiwan and support its participation in international organisations.

The US Senate foreign relations committee has delayed work on the legislation until September, and it could still be rewritten.

“The White House has significant concerns. I have significant concerns,” US Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat, was quoted by Bloomberg as saying.