As tensions grew, four US warships, including an aircraft carrier, were positioned in waters east of Taiwan. The US Navy called it routine deployments.
Meanwhile, Chinese planes flew close to the median line dividing the waterway on Tuesday morning and several Chinese warships had remained close to the unofficial dividing line since Monday. In the southeastern Chinese city of Xiamen, which lies opposite Taiwan and is home to a large military presence, residents reported sightings of armoured vehicles on the move on Tuesday and posted pictures online. The images could not immediately be verified by Reuters.
Barricades were erected outside the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Taipei where Pelosi was expected to stay amid heightened security. The Speaker is expected to meet Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on Wednesday.
Here are the top developments:
Chinese warplanes buzz Taiwan Strait
In addition to Chinese planes flying close to the median line of the strait, several Chinese warships have sailed near the unofficial dividing line since Monday.
Chinese warships and aircraft “squeezed” the median line on Tuesday morning, a source said, an unusual move the person described as “very provocative.”
Chinese aircraft repeatedly conducted tactical moves of briefly “touching” the median line and circling back to the other side of the strait on Tuesday morning, while Taiwanese aircraft were on standby nearby, the person said.
The Chinese planes left the area in the afternoon, but the vessels remained, the source said.
Cyberattack
Meanwhile, the website of Taiwan’s presidential office was targeted by an overseas cyber attack on Tuesday and was at one point malfunctioning, a source briefed on the matter said. The office later confirmed the attacks.
US Navy deploys four warships
The carrier USS Ronald Reagan has transited the South China Sea and is currently in the Philippines Sea, east of Taiwan and the Philippines and south of Japan, a U.S. Navy official told Reuters.
The Japan-based Reagan is operating with a guided missile cruiser, USS Antietam, and a destroyer, USS Higgins.
The official said the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli was also in the area.
China warns US will ‘pay the price’
The US will “pay the price” if House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visits Taiwan during her Asia trip, China warned on Tuesday, as tensions between the two superpowers continued to soar.
The prospect of Pelosi going to Taipei, which would be the highest-profile visit by an elected US official in 25 years, has triggered increasingly bellicose warnings from Beijing that have set the region on edge.
“The US side will bear the responsibility and pay the price for undermining China’s sovereign security interests,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a regular press briefing in Beijing.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said “the US breach of faith on the Taiwan issue is despicable” in comments published on his ministry’s website on Tuesday that did not specifically mention Pelosi.
Russia backs China
Russia backed China on Tuesday over an expected visit to Taiwan by Pelosi, warning Washington that such a provocative trip would put the US on a collision course with Beijing.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping warned US President Joe Biden against playing with fire over Taiwan in a call last week but three sources told Reuters on Tuesday that Pelosi was still set to visit the island.
“We cannot say for sure right now whether she will or will not get there, but everything about this tour and the possible visit to Taiwan is purely provocative,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Maria Zakharova, Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman, said the expected visit was a provocative attempt by Washington to pile pressure on China – with whom Russia has forged a strong partnership in recent years.
Markets dip as Pelosi’s Asia trip puts markets on edge
Wall Street is poised to open lower Tuesday as a possible visit by Pelosi to Taiwan prompted threats from Beijing.
Futures for the Dow Jones industrials fell 0.5% and futures for the S&P 500 declined 0.6%.
“The first big relief point will be Pelosi’s safe arrival in Taiwan, followed by her safe departure,” said Stephen Innes, managing partner at SPI Asset Management. “No party wants a real war, but the risk of mishap or even aggressive war game escalation is real, which could always lead to a tactical mistake.”
In Asian trading, Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 declined 1.4% to 27,594.73. South Korea’s Kospi slipped 0.5% to 2,439.62. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng dropped 2.4% to 19,689.21, while the Shanghai Composite dove 2.3% to 3,186.27.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 edged 0.1% higher to 6,998.10.
(With inputs from agencies)