BEIJING: On July 30, Xinhua reported that the People's Liberation Army (PLA) has begun "live-fire exercises" near the Pingtan Islands off the coast of Fujian province. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made the announcement as she was getting ready to fly to Asia.

Whether or not she will stay in Taiwan during her Asian tour is still unknown. When the Speaker of the House visited the island, the White House insisted on Friday that there was no reason for Washington and Beijing to be "shocked."

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday night cautioned the US not to play with fire on Taiwan, emphasizing that any involvement would ultimately have a negative impact on the US. When Pelosi's US government plane landed in Taipei, the Chinese Defense Ministry signaled possible military action.

We should note the fact that Beijing has made it clear that it wants to follow Washington's political goals and seek a way to coexist, says Dr. Chang. In their talks with Biden on July 28, senior diplomats, including Xi, repeatedly addressed conflict avoidance positions with Washington, including the term of "competition" adopted by the Biden administration to define Sino-US relations. However, Beijing has insisted that the Taiwan issue is a non-negotiable redline."

However, the academic downplayed hopes that Pelosi's visit could lead to a military confrontation between the US and China over Taiwan. A PLA spokesman said the Chinese military would not be passive if Pelosi's visit to Taiwan did indeed happen, but Dr Chang claimed he "did not indicate any specific military action or retaliation."

Trap for Biden in Taiwan

It begs the question of why the Biden administration is simultaneously provoking both China and Russia with belligerent rhetoric, provocations, threats and sanctions measures.

There are some "political signals", academic claims, that Pelosi's attempt to visit Taiwan is "inconsistent and non-synchronized with Biden's overall China policy." However, "this reckless political maneuver" caught the US president in a trap and gave "opposition party politicians the perfect excuse to put pressure on Biden's national security team."

While neither Biden nor the Chinese political establishment are eager to extend the term of Taiwan's position, Dr Chang warns that "we do not know when and how Washington may reach the point of no-return on the redline." "

They claim that the [US] salute-piece strategy of intimidating Beijing by changing some diplomatic practices towards Taipei is dangerous. “Beijing believes that all of these political moves are aimed at inciting Taiwan to declare its independence. The risk of conflict between Washington and Beijing has been increasing unavoidably in recent years, but there is no exact There's no limit."

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