Taiwan Rejects China’s One Country, Two Systems Initiative

Just hours after Beijing announced plans for regular military patrols near the democratically governed island, Pelosi said on Thursday that the United States would allow China to establish a “new normal” around Taiwan. said it can’t be done.

Loading

Pelosi told a news conference in Washington that China’s leaders were “trying to move forward” toward their goals in Taiwan last week before heading a congressional delegation there.

She responded to questions about whether China would continue its exercises near Taiwan after conducting its most significant military exercises in decades near the island, including likely launching ballistic missiles over Taipei. was answering.

“What we saw in China was they were kind of trying to establish a new normal,” Pelosi said. “And we can’t let that happen.”

The drills conducted by China in the wake of Pelosi’s visit have shrunk the vaguely defined buffer zone that has long served to maintain peace around Taiwan, which Beijing sees as part of its territory.

On Wednesday, the People’s Liberation Army Command, which is in charge of the Taiwan Strait, said it had “successfully completed all tasks” set for the exercise and would “organize regular patrols” in the area.

More than 180 Chinese fighter jets operated east of the Central Line in the Taiwan Strait for eight days through Wednesday. Crossing boundaries used to be a rare occurrence. The promise of more patrols is likely to fuel concerns that Chinese President Xi Jinping will attempt to make such aggression the new status quo.

As of Thursday afternoon, fewer than 10 Chinese and Taiwanese naval vessels remained near the center line of the Taiwan Strait, according to sources who spoke to Reuters, a number lower than before. It has decreased significantly,” he added.

Several Chinese naval vessels continued to carry out missions off Taiwan’s east coast and near Japan’s Yonaguni Island, according to sources familiar with Taiwan’s waters security plan.

Pelosi’s visit further strained relations between the United States and China, and Beijing suspended a series of working-level talks on issues such as military relations and climate change.

She again declined to comment Thursday on President Joe Biden’s remarks before her visit that the Pentagon would not approve such a visit, but her military escort described the delegation as “very I took good care of him,” he believed.

“I don’t remember being told not to go,” she said.

The Speaker of the House dismissed threats of Chinese sanctions announced by Beijing last week without elaborating the penalties. “Who cares?” she said.