Pelosi lands in Taiwan, defies China threats

United States House Speaker Nancy Pelosi landed in Taiwan on Tuesday evening!

The 82-year-old lawmaker, Pelosi, second in line to the presidency, is the highest-profile elected US official to visit Taiwan in 25 years.

In response to Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, China on Tuesday announced that it will launch a “series of targeted military operations.”

“People’s Liberation Army (PLA) will launch a series of targeted military operations to counter (Nancy) Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan island, and resolutely defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” China’s Defense Ministry said.

The PLA Eastern Theater Command has announced that it will hold joint military operations around Taiwan, with joint naval and air drills in the north, southwest, southeast of the island, long-range artillery shooting in the Taiwan Strait, and conventional missile test firing in maritime areas east the of the island, starting from Tuesday night, Chinese daily Global Times reported.

Besides, the Chinese military will also carry out military exercises and training activities including four-day live-fire drills in six regions surrounding Taiwan, it said.

The last US House Speaker to visit Taiwan was Newt Gingrich in 1997.

“Our delegation’s visit to Taiwan honors America’s unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwan’s vibrant Democracy,” Pelosi’s official Twitter handle tweeted moments after she arrived.

She added her visit “in no way contradicts” US policy towards Taiwan and Beijing.

International media has been glued to this high-profile US office holder’s visit to self-ruled, democratic Taiwan, which China considers its territory, and has vowed to one day seize the island, by force if necessary.

Some Twitter users are also following the development with keen interest.