In response to Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, Beijing has launched military exercises off the island, which are due to last until Sunday. These exercises were obviously followed closely in Washington. China has “chose to overreact” to Nancy Pelosi’s visit by firing eleven ballistic missiles around Taiwan, said John Kirby, a White House spokesman, Thursday, August 4.
The United States has decided to postpone an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test scheduled for the next few days “to avoid a further escalation of tensions”added John Kirby during a press briefing. “At a time when China is conducting destabilizing military exercises around Taiwan, the United States is on the contrary behaving like a responsible nuclear power, reducing the risk of misunderstandings”, he noted. The Minuteman Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) test is on hold, and will take place at a later date.
The spokesperson recalled that US President Joe Biden had spoken to his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, last week, hinting that further contact with Chinese authorities could occur soon. “The lines of communication are still open with Beijing and I think you will see that in the days to come”he said. “Its very important.”
>> Taiwan: is there a risk of military escalation following the maneuvers of the Chinese army around the archipelago?
China “fired eleven ballistic missiles toward Taiwan, and they landed in the northeast, east, and southeast of the island”said the spokesman for the White House for strategic matters. “We condemn these acts, which are irresponsible”, he added. Beijing used the visit of Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, on site Tuesday and Wednesday, as “a pretext to increase its provocative military operations in and around the Taiwan Strait”.
“We will not be deterred from operating in the seas and skies of the Western Pacific in accordance with international law, as we have done for decades, defending Taiwan and a free and open Indo-Pacific.”, he pointed out. It is for this purpose that Minister of Defense Lloyd Austin has decided to maintain “a bit longer than expected” in the region the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and its airborne group, which is currently cruising in the Philippine Sea, for0Mr. Kirby noted.