Vigilant News

Eternal Vigilance is the price of liberty.

Taiwan

Pelosi’s Taiwan Visit Causes China to Sanction Her, Cease Climate Talks with US

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Reports indicate that China will be suspending negotiations with the U.S. on both military relations, climate change, and other issues in the wake of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan this week.

This move should come as no surprise, as China threatened retaliation immediately after Pelosi announced her visit to Taiwan. China claims that Taiwan is Chinese territory and has been increasingly vocal about that position as the island tries to exert its own independence.

On Thursday, China began conducting aggressive military exercises just off of Taiwan coasts that are scheduled to run at least through this Sunday, according to the Associated Press.

The exercises have included firing missiles over the island toward Japan. China regularly opposes the idea that Taiwan is self-governing and independent, despite the fact that the small island nation has its own military contacts with foreign governments.

The Chinese Communist Party’s Foreign Ministry has said that all dialogue between the U.S. and Chinese regional commanders and defense department officials would be canceled, including talks on military maritime safety.

In addition, the ministry has also said that cooperation on criminal investigations, returning illegal immigrants, transnational crime, illegal drugs, and climate change will all be suspended.

The sentiment in Taiwan is divided about Nancy Pelosi’s trip, some government officials met with her while certain civic groups, politicians, and business and industry representatives on the island of Taiwan began protesting Pelosi’s visit.

Though many believe that it was only a matter of time before China invaded Taiwan, it seems as though Pelosi’s trip may have accelerated these plans. At least the people of Taiwan got to hear this powerful speech from the House Speaker:

Today it was reported that South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol refused to meet with Nancy Pelosi, not wanting to cut his vacation short, and opting instead to hold a 40-minute phone call with Pelosi, during which they discussed the US-South Korean alliance, foreign policy, and other issues, his office said.

Chinese Carrier and Tank Movement Cause #WWIII to Trend as Nancy Pelosi Lands in Taiwan Despite Threat of “Serious Consequences”

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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, despite China’s repeated warnings, landed in Taiwan early this morning. The curious stunt has caused China to flex its might by moving aircraft carriers into the South China Sea as well as positioning tanks on Chinese beaches opposite Taiwan.

Pelosi arrived after reports flooded Chinese social media Tuesday that Beijing has positioned tanks on the beaches of Fujian along the Taiwan Strait.

In addition, reports and footage have surfaced of large military movements of troops and equipment. Movements have been seen occurring on major highways and railways throughout the Chinese province of Fujian, directly adjacent to the islands of Quemoy and Matsu.

Many commercial flights slated to depart from several cities in the Fujian province have been abruptly canceled in the last 24 hours. Xiamen Airlines put out a statement that the flight cancelations were due to “regional traffic control” and did not elaborate further.

Some claim that this could be considered an invasion warning, the military occupation of the Quemoy and Matsu Islands as the first step by Communist China to subjugate Taiwan and eliminate U.S. influence in the Western Pacific.

The speaker landed despite these escalations in a move that’s been seen as brave by some and foolish by others. 

The country of Taiwan itself seems to have mixed feelings about the visit. Civic groups, politicians, and business and industry representatives on the island of Taiwan began protesting against US Pelosi’s potential visit. 

Wu Cherng-dean, chairman of the pro-reunification New Party, said on Tuesday that the party is firmly opposed to Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, saying that Pelosi is “harmful to Taiwan without bringing any benefits.”

A number of Taiwan civic groups gathered in front of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) as early as Monday afternoon, with hundreds of people holding placards with slogans such as “American witch get out of Taiwan, China,” and “get out, trouble maker Nancy Pelosi!”.

The rest of the world chimed in as well, as Twitter saw #WWIII trend as Pelosi arrived. This is likely due to the multiple threats related to the trip.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said during a daily press briefing prior to her arrival”

“We would like to tell the United States once again that China is standing by, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army will never sit idly by, and China will take resolute responses and strong countermeasures to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity,”

Chinese Defense Ministry Spokesperson Senior Colonel Tan Kefei said:

“As the ‘third most important figure’ of the U.S. government, if Speaker Pelosi visits Taiwan, the move will seriously violate the one-China principle and the provisions in the three China-U.S. joint communiques, severely endanger China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity… It will have a critically negative impact on the political foundation of China-U.S. relations, and is bound to cause extremely serious harm to the relations between the two countries and their militaries, and lead to further escalation of tension across the Taiwan Straits.”

Pelosi is also experiencing some criticism back home as well:

Former Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein tweeted, “It’s another Cuban missile crisis moment. Will Pelosi blunder us into WWIII with China?”

Vigilant News will provide updates as more information becomes available.

Media Scrambles to Cover for Joe Biden After Comments on Taiwan

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Ryan DeLarme,

May 23rd, 2022

Joe Biden, who has been called a “danger to international peace and global stability”, made a bold statement on Monday when he told reporters at a press conference in Tokyo that the U.S. would intervene militarily if China were to invade Taiwan.

In typical fashion, the President’s staffers had to walk back the claim.  A White House official said Biden’s comments did not reflect a policy shift, according to AP.

What is particularly interesting are the mainstream media’s scrambling attempts to cover for the leader of the free world. 

Immediately after the conference, the Associated Press ran a puff piece claiming that Joe Biden was “willing to get involved militarily”, and that his remarks were the “ the most forceful presidential statements in support of Taiwan’s self-governing in decades.” This was done in what appeared to be an attempt to not only cover for the gaffe-prone President but to depict him as strong and resolute rather than increasingly obvious cognitive decline.

Bloomberg took a different approach. Rather than attempting to portray Biden as a strong leader and doubling down on the potentially catastrophic comments, Bloomberg claims that he simply “misspoke”. While damage control being done by Bloomberg is a far-cry AP’s “Forceful presidential statement” angle, it does seem to be a bit closer to the truth.

Not surprisingly, China was deeply unimpressed, suggesting that the US was playing with fire. Some in Washington were also concerned.

“We should be clear about what our policy is,” said China-relations expert Bonnie Glaser, the director of the Asia Program at the German Marshall Fund, a Washington-based think tank.

“When it is not clear, that confusion ends up undermining reassurances to our allies and partners and potentially erodes deterrence in the Taiwan Strait.”