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Amid speculations over U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visiting Taiwan, several Chinese warplanes were reportedly spotted close to the median line of the sensitive Taiwan Strait on Tuesday.
What Happened: Mounting tensions between the U.S. and China over Pelosi visiting the island nation where China claims sovereignty has alerted the military of both countries.
Reuters quoted sources as saying several Chinese warships and warplanes stayed close to the unofficial dividing line since Monday, while the U.S. military also moved its assets closer to Taiwan, including the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and large planes.
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According to the report, Taiwan had dispatched aircraft to monitor the situation. The source said both Chinese warships and aircraft “squeezed” the dividing line, an unusual move that he described as “very provocative.”
He said the Chinese aircraft repeatedly conducted tactical moves of briefly “touching” the line and circling back to the other side of the strait.
Meanwhile, the U.S. warned China not to turn Pelosi’s unexpected trip to Taiwan into a “crisis.”
“There is no reason for Beijing to turn a potential visit consistent with longstanding U.S. policy into some sort of crisis or conflict, or use it as a pretext to increase aggressive military activity in or around the Taiwan Strait,” John Kirby, a National Security Council spokesman said.
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