[One-shot Issue] US-China Relations Unstoppable... Taiwan Turns into a Powder Keg / YTN

The third-highest ranking official in the US! House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has set foot on Taiwanese soil. She even took the time to take a commemorative photo with Taiwanese government officials who came to welcome her. A large sign welcoming Speaker Pelosi's visit was displayed on Taipei 101, a landmark building, and crowds gathered near the hotel where the visiting delegation was staying. [Interview: Simon Lin / Taiwanese Citizen] "I am grateful that Speaker Pelosi ignored China's threats and visited Taiwan to support Taiwan's freedom and democracy." Before Speaker Pelosi's visit, China made a barrage of terrifying statements. From abstract yet bold statements like "Playing with fire will burn you to death," to more specific statements like "We can intercept Speaker Pelosi's plane," and "The People's Liberation Army is awaiting combat orders." However, ultimately, no major incidents occurred during the landing. Taiwanese officials announced that "21 Chinese military aircraft entered Taiwan's southwestern air defense identification zone" around the time Speaker Pelosi and her entourage arrived. Chinese state-run media also reported that Chinese fighter jets crossed the Taiwan Strait around the time Pelosi arrived, but some speculate that the response was less severe than expected. Of course, the United States also made some compromises. The military aircraft carrying Pelosi departed from Malaysia. Originally, the shortest route was to travel via the South China Sea to Taiwan, but it turned in Indonesia and traveled north via the Philippines, making it a somewhat circuitous route. The situation garnered significant attention, with one flight tracking site announced that 2.92 million people had used its location tracking service. Of course, China's moves are far from over. China's official news agency, Xinhua, announced a zone surrounding Taiwan. The Chinese military will conduct major military exercises and live-fire exercises in this area from noon on August 4th to noon on August 7th, and has warned ships and aircraft not to enter the area. They plan to conduct joint maritime and air exercises in the waters and airspace of northern, southwestern, and southeastern Taiwan, and conduct long-range live-fire exercises in the Taiwan Strait, and test-fire exercises in the waters east of Taiwan. In particular, some analysts believe the expanded training area off Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan is aimed at blocking the international transportation network from the Strait of Malacca to the South China Sea. The United States is also in a tense standoff, deploying the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan to Taiwanese waters, and also deploying cruisers, destroyers, and amphibious assault ships. Both the US and China appear to be irritating each other, but neither side appears to be pulling the trigger. This is because neither side would benefit from backing down in the current conflict. First, the US has midterm elections scheduled for November! President Biden previously expressed caution regarding Speaker Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, drawing criticism from both Republicans and some Democratic lawmakers. The opposition Republican Party is putting even more emphasis on Speaker Pelosi's visit. [Interview: Mitch McConnell / Senate Republican Leader] "We know the Chinese government intends to do to Taiwan the same thing it did to Hong Kong. Therefore, Speaker Pelosi's visit to Taiwan is legitimate, and I support it." China, too, cannot back down. With the Communist Party Congress looming, which will determine President Xi Jinping's third term, it's difficult to afford to appear to be losing ground to the United States. Furthermore, Taiwan holds another symbolic significance beyond Xi Jinping's third term. It's related to the "One China" principle. [Interview: CCTV] "Pelosi's visit" sends the wrong signal to Taiwanese separatists. China strongly opposes and sternly condemns this, and sends a strong protest to the United States." While China fundamentally believes that "Taiwan = Chinese territory," Currently, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and the ruling Democratic Progressive Party are more open to Taiwan's complete independence. This differs from the Kuomintang, which, defeated by the Communist Party and relocated to the island of Taiwan, dreamed of reclaiming the mainland, and whose base was based on the mainland. Regarding Taiwan, the United States has achieved its goals of restricting arms exports to Taiwan and deterring Chinese military action against Taiwan through domestic legislation known as the Taiwan Relations Act. From China's perspective, this is a thorn in their side, a pro-American nation in their own right. Furthermore, there are concerns that ignoring US support for Taiwan could undermine the very foundations of China, a multi-ethnic nation, with implications for Xinjiang, Tibet, and even Hong Kong. Speaker Pelosi's record is also problematic. In 1991,...