its military on high aler

Taiwan has reportedly put its military on high alert and has cancelled the leave of some officials and soldiers as it ‘prepares for war’ with China over US senator Nancy Pelosi’s reported visit.

According to Taiwan news outlets, the military has mobilised the air defence forces to “immediately prepare for war” after a high-level briefing.

This comes amid US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s tour of four Asian countries, which began on Monday. Local media in Taiwan reported that Pelosi will arrive on Tuesday night, becoming the highest-ranking elected US official to visit in more than 25 years.

A US official’s visit will spark fury in China, which regards Taiwan as its own territory and has repeatedly warned of “serious consequences” if the reported trip goes ahead.China sees official American contact with Taiwan as encouragement to make the island’s decades-old de facto independence permanent, a step US leaders say they don’t support.

The US administration had tried to assure Beijing there was no reason to “come to blows” and that if such a visit occurred, it would signal no change in US policy on Taiwan.

Taiwan and China split in 1949 after the Communists won a civil war on the mainland. Both sides say they are one country but disagree over which government is entitled to national leadership. They have no official relations but are linked by billions of dollars of trade and investment.

Meanwhile, another US airforce passenger jet is flying from Alaska towards east Asia. Interestingly, it’s call sign is SPAR20. Nancy Pelosi’s call sign was SPAR19. Both jets are Boeing C-40C.

Last week, Chinese President Xi Jinping also warned the US against m

ese side.

Xi and Biden have not met in an in-person summit yet, but this was the fifth call between the two leaders since Biden assumed the presidency in January 2021. The Chinese readout called the exchange candid and in-depth. The Chinese side made it a point to emphasise that the call was arranged at Biden’s request.

Despite growing tensions and challenges, such exchanges indicate that the two sides are willing to ease tensions in relations. The call is significant for a number of reasons, but both sides have different reasons to keep lines of communication open.

For the United States, China’s support to Russia in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war is still a major hindrance in countering Russia. In this context, the United States department spokesperson

as full of the usual rhetoric and threatening tone, “Those who play with fire will perish by it. It is hoped that the United States will be clear-eyed about this. The United States should honour the one-China principle and implement the three joint communiqués, both in word and in deed.”

The timing of the call is noteworthy as it took place within a few days of the leak of the news of potential visit of Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the US House of Representatives, to Taiwan in