Tensions Escalate Between US and China Over Pelosi's Taiwan Visit... Clash Expected in Leaders' Phone Call

Tensions Rise Ahead of Biden-Xi Jinping Call on the 28th
Deepening Confrontation Over Taiwan Issue... China "Will Not Stand By"
US Concentrates Forces in South China Sea, Considers Deploying Strategic Units to Allies

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy reporters Hyunwoo Lee and Hyunjung Kim] Tensions between the United States and China are escalating over U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's planned visit to Taiwan. As China continues to conduct military demonstrations around the Taiwan Strait, the U.S. is expected to consolidate its forces in the South China Sea in preparation for Pelosi's visit, raising concerns about accidental military clashes. Reports indicate that the U.S. is also considering deploying a new strategic unit aimed at countering China to one of its Asian allies, which is likely to further heighten military tensions between the two countries.

With the upcoming resumption of a phone call between the U.S. and Chinese leaders after four months, Taiwan is expected to be a central topic, making it difficult to find a breakthrough to the current deadlock between the two nations.

According to CNN on the 27th (local time), concerns about security and China's military response are growing within the Biden administration ahead of Pelosi's planned visit to Taiwan next month. Citing multiple officials, CNN warned that "China recently announced its worst economic performance, and with an important schedule ahead related to President Xi Jinping's reappointment, a political victory may be necessary," suggesting that China could respond more aggressively than expected to Pelosi's visit.

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

China has unusually raised its warning level by involving the Ministry of National Defense. At a press conference the previous day, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson Tan Kefei warned, "If the U.S. continues to insist, the Chinese military will never stand idly by." The Chinese military has been sending aircraft daily into Taiwan's Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) to conduct military demonstrations, and has hinted at the possibility of declaring a no-fly zone over Taiwan's airspace if Pelosi proceeds with her visit, signaling a potential hardline response.

The U.S. Department of Defense is also preparing its forces to counter possible Chinese military provocations during Pelosi's visit. At a press conference, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said, "I spoke with Speaker Pelosi on the phone and expressed concerns about the possibility of Chinese attacks and recent military activities observed in the region," adding, "Requirements to ensure Speaker Pelosi's safety will be met, but I believe we must always remain vigilant."

The upcoming U.S.-China leader phone call expected on the 28th is also unlikely to produce a breakthrough in the deadlock between the two countries. Hong Kong's South China Morning Post (SCMP) warned that although the two leaders will resume talks after four months, new conflicts between the two nations may begin instead.

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

Lucian, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), told SCMP, "Speaker Pelosi's visit to Taiwan will shake the current state of cross-strait relations and usher the current game into a new phase," adding, "Any agreements reached during the (leaders') call could be nullified by Pelosi's visit to Taiwan."

With the U.S. government also considering deploying a new strategic unit to an ally neighboring China, military tensions surrounding the Taiwan Strait are expected to intensify further. Charles Flynn, commander of the U.S. Army Pacific, told Japan's Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) in an interview, "We are considering the possibility of deploying a Multi-Domain Task Force (MDTF) to allies in the Indo-Pacific region close to China, such as Japan or the Philippines."

The Multi-Domain Task Force (MDTF) is a strategic unit capable of simultaneously conducting operations across multiple domains including missile defense, air defense, electronic warfare, and cyber warfare. Currently, two MDTFs operate within the U.S. military?one in Washington State on the U.S. West Coast and another at a U.S. base in Germany. A third MDTF is scheduled to be deployed to Hawaii after 2023, with a high likelihood of subsequent deployment to one of the U.S.'s Asian allies. Nikkei pointed out that China is likely to intensify military pressure on U.S. allies in response to the deployment of this unit.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.