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  • US Speaker Pelosi pledges support for Armenia

    US Speaker Pelosi pledges support for Armenia

    Pelosi’s remarks drew an unusually strong rebuke from Baku, which said she was endangering the peace in the Caucasus….reports Asian Lite News

    House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday condemned what she said were “illegal” border attacks by Azerbaijan on Armenia, using a visit to the Russian ally to pledge American support for its sovereignty.

    Pelosi cast her trip to Armenia, a sliver of land the size of the US state of Maryland that is wedged between Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey and Iran, as an attempt to strengthen support for what she cast as a beacon of democracy.

    Speaking in the ancient city of Yerevan, Pelosi said her trip had significance following the “illegal and deadly attacks by Azerbaijan on Armenian territory” that triggered border clashes in which more than 200 people were killed.

    “We strongly condemn those attacks,” Pelosi said beside Armenian parliamentary speaker Alen Simonyan, who last week expressed unhappiness with the response of a Russian-led military alliance to Yerevan’s request for help.

    Pelosi, who angered China with a trip to Taiwan last month, said it was evident that the border fighting was triggered by Azeri assaults on Armenia and that the chronology of the conflict should be made clear.

    The fighting “was initiated by the Azeris and there has to be recognition of that,” Pelosi said.

    Pelosi’s remarks drew an unusually strong rebuke from Baku, which said she was endangering the peace in the Caucasus.

    “The unsubstantiated and unfair accusations levelled by Pelosi against Azerbaijan are unacceptable,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.

    “This is a serious blow to the efforts to normalize relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan,” the ministry said, casting Pelosi’s remarks as “Armenian propaganda”.

    Such a definitive apportioning of blame for the conflict goes beyond what the U.S. State Department has so far said in public.

    Secretary of State Antony Blinken has expressed concerns over the fighting and called for calm but did not assign blame.

    Blinken urged Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev on a call on Sunday “to adhere to the ceasefire, disengage military forces, and work to resolve all outstanding issues between Armenia and Azerbaijan through peaceful negotiations,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said.

    Armenia said Azerbaijan shelled at least six Armenian settlements inside the border shortly after midnight on Sept. 13, attacking civilian and military infrastructure with drones and large calibre guns. Yerevan said it was unprovoked aggression.

    Azerbaijan, backed by Turkey, rejects those claims. Baku says Armenian sabotage units tried to mine Azeri positions, prompting soldiers to respond. Armenia says that narrative is Azeri disinformation.

    ALSO READ: Jaishankar to push for UNSC reforms

  • Pelosi ensures that US assurances regain credibility

    Pelosi ensures that US assurances regain credibility

    Xi seems to have not got the memo that the Legislature is independent of the Executive under the US Constitution, for his accurate surmise that Biden was unhappy about Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan led him to believe that the White House could get it cancelled, writes Prof. Madhav Das Nalapat

    On 1 October 1949, CCP Chairman Mao Zedong announced that “China has stood up”. The slogan resonated with a population that had endured more than a century of turmoil and humiliation, and who were eager to leave that tragic past behind. What Mao delivered was a country whose capital controlled more than twice the land area that it had in previous eras.

    The first Red Emperor annexed Manchuria, large chunks of Mongolia, Xinjiang and Tibet, wisely avoiding any serious effort at taking over Taiwan, now that the island was teeming with KMT troops that could be expected to put up a fierce resistance. Apart from that, there was the Taiwan Straits, a ribbon of water that continues to protect the island nation from attack by its much bigger neighbour to the west.

    Hong Kong was also left alone, as Mao had no desire to enter into a conflict with the Anglo-American alliance, although soon afterwards, worry about the intentions of General MacArthur caused the CCP Chairman to order the PLA to enter the Korean peninsula in force on the side of Kim Il Sung. Behind his rhetoric of being ready to sacrifice hundreds of millions of lives should the necessity for human sacrifice on such a scale arise, Mao was a pragmatist who focused on the stabilisation of the CCP regime in China, now that he had more than doubled the size of the country.

    He declared publicly that any absorption of Taiwan would take place only in an undefined and remote future, unlike the present CCP supremo, who says that the takeover of Taiwan will take place during his stint in power. A risky dare, given the potential consequences to the PRC economy were his calculations concerning the success of an invasion to go wrong.

    Not that this has been the only public geopolitical gamble that Xi has made. US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan may by now be aware that an unscripted President Biden is sometimes an asset but is often unhelpful to overall US interests. It was after Biden’s impromptu remarks that the US military was alarmed about a possible visit by Speaker Pelosi to Taiwan that Xi ordered a ferocious ramping up of the verbal offensive against that visit.

    The expectation was that an already jittery White House, not to mention the Pentagon, would prevail over the third in line to the US Presidency and force her to cancel the visit, perhaps on grounds of health. Of course, once the PRC Ambassador to the UK had made the proposed Pelosi trip public in an interview to a fawning correspondent of the UK-based Financial Times, had Pelosi called off the visit, the reaction of voters vital to the prospects of the Democratic Party in the approaching midterm elections would be devastating to the Democratic Party.

    US voters, in common with those in India, have contempt for cowards. Some of those intending on making the trip called it off once the Xi Jinping propaganda machine moved into high gear, even threatening to shoot down the aircraft carrying Pelosi to Taipei. All of a sudden, other engagements popped up on the calendars that made some of them shamefacedly cancel their participation in the Pelosi delegation, but less skittish legislators decided to accompany the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, possibly after checking up on their insurance payments.

    Back at the start of the year, the NATO leadership had convinced itself that President Putin would not dare to launch a comprehensive war aka Special Military Operation on Ukraine, now that the Atlantic Alliance had turned up the screws on sanctions present and threatened directed at Moscow. That bit of bluster failed to deter Putin, and as it turned out, Xi’s bluster failed to deter Pelosi.

    Xi seems to have not got the memo that the Legislature is independent of the Executive under the US Constitution, for his accurate surmise that Biden was unhappy about Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan led him to believe that the White House could get it cancelled. Hence the ramping up of rhetoric, so that once Speaker Pelosi feigned indisposition and skipped Taipei, the CCP General Secretary would get the credit for the reversal.

    It seems from its rhetoric that the CCP leadership believes that PRC citizens thinks about nothing else other than the question of Speaker Pelosi defying the diktat of Xi and actually going to Taiwan to an enthusiastic welcome from that democracy. Worsening economic conditions in the PRC and the rise in arbitrary detentions are of no importance in the CCP’s mind when compared with Speaker Pelosi having the effrontery to meet with Taiwanese President Tsai.

    After Trump’s ditching the Kurds in Syria and signing a surrender document with the Taliban at Doha in 2020, followed the next year by Biden following in Afghanistan Gorbachev’s example of 1988, when the last Soviet communist party leader abandoned Afghan President Najibullah to his fate, confidence in the sincerity of the US to stand by its security guarantees was on the way to becoming extinct. The Pelosi visit to Taipei has changed that perception, and not just in Taiwan. Who knows, perhaps even the tremulous President Biden may imbibe a few lessons in courage from the example set by Speaker Pelosi.

    ALSO READ: N.Korea slams Pelosi’s visit to truce village

  • China announces sanctions on Pelosi over Taiwan visit

    China announces sanctions on Pelosi over Taiwan visit

    Pelosi had visited the self-governing democratic island on Tuesday, prompting Beijing to launch air and sea military drills with live fire in the waters off Taiwan…reports Asian Lite News

     In response to her controversial Taiwan visit, China has imposed unspecified sanctions on Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi “and her immediate family members”, the Foreign Ministry in Beijing said on Friday.

    “In disregard of China’s grave concerns and firm opposition, Pelosi insisted on visiting China’s Taiwan region. This constitutes a gross interference in China’s internal affairs,” dpa news agency quoted the Ministry as saying in a statement.

    “It gravely undermines China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, seriously tramples on the one-China principle, and severely threatens peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

    “In response to Pelosi’s egregious provocation, China decides to adopt sanctions on Pelosi and her immediate family members in accordance with relevant laws of the People’s Republic of China,” it added.

    Pelosi had visited the self-governing democratic island on Tuesday, prompting Beijing to launch air and sea military drills with live fire in the waters off Taiwan.

    Earlier in the day, the Foreign Ministry had summoned the Japanese ambassador in retaliation over Tokyo’s criticism of China’s manoeuvres around Taiwan within the framework of the G7 group.

    The Ministry said that a formal protest had been handed over to the envoy.

    On Thursday, the Ambassadors of the G7 countries and the EU’s representatives were similarly summoned.

    The G7 had expressed its concern in a statement by its Foreign Ministers, stressing that there was no reason to use a visit by a top US politician to Taiwan as a pretext “for aggressive military activities”.

    Pelosi became the highest-ranking American diplomat to visit Taiwan in a quarter of a century.

    Beijing sees the self-governing democratic island as part of its territory and rejects any official contact with Taiwan.

    ALSO READ-China ramps up military presence in Taiwan

  • Did Pelosi’s visit trigger Xi to advance his Taiwan move?

    Did Pelosi’s visit trigger Xi to advance his Taiwan move?

    A show of strength at this time will bind people as well as well as disparate factions within the CPC ahead of the 20th Party Congress this autumn that will decide on a new leadership line-up for the next five years, a report by Atul Aneja

    The Speaker of the US House of Representatives has left Taiwan, but by taking the trip, she may have triggered a strategic decision by Chinese President Xi Jinping, the head of the Communist Party of China (CPC), to take over the island by force.

    The question may not no longer be “whether” but “when” to launch a massive military operation to annex the Taiwan islands.

    While Pelosi was still in Taiwan, the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Eastern Theatre command began an exercise to blockade Taiwan, deploying warships, aircraft, amphibious forces and conventional land attack missiles, feeding off from an elaborate surveillance system that included military satellites.

    Chinese state media is reporting that the Chinese have also deployed DF-17 hypersonic missile in the exercise, adding a sharper message of intent.

    The exercise aims to substantially blockade Taiwan by exercising control over the territory’s key ports. These include the Keelung Port and Taipei Port in the north, the Taichung port, Kaohsiung port in the south and Hualien Port in the east. “If the PLA exercises take a long time, it will constitute a substantial blockage of Taiwan,” Global Times, the garrulous mouthpiece of the CPC, quoted a Chinese military expert as saying.

    The PLA’ s drills this time are “comprehensive and highly targeted,” showing the determination of resolving the Taiwan question once and for all, another Chinese military commentator Song Zhongping told the daily.

    The drill should be viewed as a war plan rehearsal, Song said, “In the event of a future military conflict, it is likely that the operational plans currently being rehearsed will be directly translated into combat operations.”

    The comment corroborates an explosive audio leak of a top-secret meeting of the Guangdong Military Region that surfaced on Lude media’s YouTube channel on May 14. The audio reveals a detailed plan of invading Taiwan. Participants advocate the centrality of safeguarding the Pearl River Delta area in the province. A densely populated area, it is the heartbeat of the Chinese industry. The province is majorly responsible for turning China into the workshop of the world. It includes Guangzhou, a world class trading hub, Shenzhen, the hi-tech capital, where giants of the digital age, such as Huawei and Tencent Industries are headquartered. Other major cities of huge importance include Foshan, the furniture capital, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Hong Kong and Macau.

    Regarding mobilization, it reveals that Guangdong military region tasks slated by the eastern and southern theatre commands include “1,358 detachments of various types with a total of 140,000 personnel, 953 ships of various types, and 1,653 units/sets of various unmanned equipment. Other resources include 20 airports and docks, 6 repair and shipbuilding yards, 14 emergency transfer centres, and resources such as grain depots, hospitals, blood stations, oil depots, gas stations, etc.” Besides, “the national defence mobilization recruitment office will recruit new military service personnel, retired military personnel, and special talents totalling 15,500 people from our province. The National Defence Commission clearly stated that our province shall coordinate the implementation of the seven types of national level warfare resources, including, mainly, 64 10,000-ton roll-on/roll-off ships, 38 aircraft, 588 train cars and 19 civil facilities including airports and docks.”

    US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi meets with Taiwanese President Tsai ing-wen in Taipei_

    The leak further reveals that the task flow from the “the Party Central Committee, General Secretary Xi Jinping’s major strategic decision in view of the big picture of international and domestic affairs, as well as the overall strategic situation of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. It was made after carefully reviewing the timing and the situations”.

    In the manoeuvres to blockade Taiwan, the PLA is deploying the J-20 stealth fighter jets, H-6K bombers, J-11 fighter jets, Type 052D destroyer, Type 056A corvette and DF-11 short-range ballistic missiles.

    There are four major reasons as to why President Xi may have made up his mind to annex Taiwan.

    First, there is widespread support in China for such a move where nationalist fervour is running high. A show of strength at this time will bind people as well as well as disparate factions within the CPC ahead of the 20th Party Congress this autumn that will decide on a new leadership line-up for the next five years.

    Second, from a strategic perspective China’s top leadership appears to have made up its mind to break its naval containment imposed by the US and its allies under the First island chain — a string of mostly militarised islands that run from the Kamchatka in the north pass though Taiwan and end up in Borneo, with Okinawa in Japan as the fulcrum. Occupation of Taiwan by China would be central to breaking the stranglehold of the First island chain. Once Chinese submarines are based in the deep waters of Taiwan, the First island chain would be broken as there is no way that the Americans can monitor the movement of these platforms which can then roam with impunity in the Pacific.

    Third, the Chinese would like to make their move in Taiwan before the Australia- UK-US (AUKUS) grouping dedicated to China’s containment matures.

    Fourth, unlike 1996 when they were found wanting in their fracas with Taiwan, the Chinese war machine has been significantly upgraded. “In 1996, we didn’t have aircraft carriers, the Type 055 large destroyer, nor hypersonic missiles… Since then, our ability to strike, capture and kill has greatly improved and our military options and confidence have increased,” Song, the military expert was quoted as saying.

    (The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)

    ALSO READ: Japan, US vow cooperation on Taiwan

  • China to begin military drills as Pelosi visits Taiwan

    China to begin military drills as Pelosi visits Taiwan

    China – which sees Taiwan as a breakaway province which will one day reunite with it – has previously warned that its armed forces “will not stand idly by”…reports Asian Lite News

    Within minutes of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi landing in Taiwan on Tuesday night, China said it would immediately begin “a series of joint military operations around the island”, including using long-range live ammunition in the Taiwan Strait, a media report said.

    An announcement from the People’s Liberation Army Eastern Theater Command said beginning Tuesday night a series of exercises would be held on the sea and in the air surrounding Taiwan, the self-governed island that China says is its sovereign territory, CNN reported.

    “This action is a solemn deterrent against the recent major escalation of the negative actions of the United States on the Taiwan issue, and a serious warning to the ‘Taiwan independence’ forces seeking ‘independence’,” Col. Shi Yi, spokesman for the Eastern Theater Command, said in a statement.

    The Eastern Theater is one of the five joint commands of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) with jurisdiction over China’s eastern coastal provinces of Fujian and Zhejiang, which sit opposite and above Taiwan.

    China’s Defence Ministry said the PLA was “on high alert and will launch a series of targeted military operations to counteract the situation, resolutely defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and resolutely thwart the interference of external forces and ‘Taiwan independence’ secessionist schemes.”

    In an unusual move, Chinese state media posted on Twitter a map showing six areas around Taiwan where it said the PLA would conduct drills, including live-fire exercises from Thursday through Sunday, the media outlet reported.

    Having landed in Taiwan amid soaring tensions with China’s military, the US House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, defended her controversial trip to the self-ruling island, saying she was making clear that American leaders “never give in to autocrats” in an opinion piece published in the Washington Post, The Guardian reported.

    “We cannot stand by as (China) proceeds to threaten Taiwan – and democracy itself,” said Pelosi’s piece, published just as the veteran California congresswoman’s plane touched down on Tuesday.

    “Indeed, we take this trip at a time when the world faces a choice between autocracy and democracy.”

    Given that Pelosi’s trip presents a serious diplomatic headache for the Joe Biden White House, there had been much speculation about the motivations behind the controversial visit. In her op-ed Pelosi struck a hard line against China’s position that her trip was a provocation and placed it in the context of a broader global struggle over political freedom.

    In the article Pelosi said: “We take this trip at a time when the world faces a choice between autocracy and democracy. As Russia wages its premeditated, illegal war against Ukraine, killing thousands of innocents – even children – it is essential that America and our allies make clear that we never give in to autocrats”, The Guardian reported.

    China has branded a landmark visit to Taiwan by US Speaker Nancy Pelosi as “extremely dangerous”, BBC reported.

    It accused Pelosi, the most senior US politician in 25 years to visit the island China claims as its own, of “playing with fire”.

    “Those who play with fire will perish by it,” Beijing warned in a statement, BBC reported.

    Pelosi said her visit “honours America’s unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwan’s vibrant democracy” and did not contradict US policy.

    As her plane touched down, Chinese state media reported that its military jets were crossing the Taiwan strait. Taiwan has denied any such action happened.

    China – which sees Taiwan as a breakaway province which will one day reunite with it – has previously warned that its armed forces “will not stand idly by”.

    In her statement, Pelosi said: “America’s solidarity with the 23 million people of Taiwan is more important today than ever, as the world faces a choice between autocracy and democracy.”

    In an article published in the Washington Post newspaper at the same time, Pelosi also wrote that Taiwan’s “robust democracy… is under threat”..

    “In the face of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) accelerating aggression, our congressional delegation’s visit should be seen as an unequivocal statement that America stands with Taiwan, our democratic partner, as it defends itself and its freedom,” she said.

    ALSO READ-‘US solidarity with 23 mn people of Taiwan is more important’

  • ‘US solidarity with 23 mn people of Taiwan is more important’

    ‘US solidarity with 23 mn people of Taiwan is more important’

    Hundreds of Taiwanese, as well as Tibetans, gathered at her hotel to welcome the 82-year-old lawmaker, a staunch critic of Beijing for long…reports Asian Lite News

    US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and members of a Congressional delegation issued a statement upon arrival in Taiwan on Tuesday.

    The visit is the first official visit to Taiwan by a Speaker of the United States House of Representatives in 25 years.

    “Our Congressional delegation’s visit to Taiwan honours America’s unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwan’s vibrant Democracy.

    “Our visit is part of our broader trip to the Indo-Pacific including Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan focused on mutual security, economic partnership and democratic governance. Our discussions with Taiwan leadership will focus on reaffirming our support for our partner and on promoting our shared interests, including advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific region,” the statement said.

    “America’s solidarity with the 23 million people of Taiwan is more important today than ever, as the world faces a choice between autocracy and democracy.

    “Our visit is one of several Congressional delegations to Taiwan and it in no way contradicts the longstanding United States policy, guided by the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979, US-China Joint Communiques and the Six Assurances. The United States continues to oppose unilateral efforts to change the status quo,” it added.

    Pelosi landed in Taiwan late on Tuesday for a visit to the self-governing island amid heightened threats from Chinese officials and multiple rounds of military drills by China’s People’s Liberation Army, RFA reported.

    Pelosi, the most senior US official to visit Taiwan in 25 years, flew into the Songshan airport near the capital Taipei at around 10:45 p.m. local time, after leading a Congressional delegation trip reaffirming the US commitment to Asian allies.

    Hundreds of Taiwanese, as well as Tibetans, gathered at her hotel to welcome the 82-year-old lawmaker, a staunch critic of Beijing for long.

    In the run up to the trip, both China and Taiwan’s militaries were on high-alert in preparation for the visit. Chinese domestic air travel in Fuzhou, across the Taiwan strait from Taiwan, was disrupted on Tuesday, indicating that military flights may be taking place nearby.

    Taiwanese civilians have been participating in air raid drills to prepare for a potential attack by China’s much larger military, RFA reported.

    The United States does not recognise Taiwan diplomatically, but retains close unofficial ties with Taipei and is obligated by law to provide it with defence capabilities.

    Beijing considers the self-ruling, democratic island a breakaway province, to be united with the mainland by force if necessary, and objects strongly to high-level US visits.

    ALSO READ-Pelosi arrives in Taiwan despite threats from China

  • Pelosi begins Asia trip, no mention of Taiwan

    Pelosi begins Asia trip, no mention of Taiwan

    Member of the delegation accompanying Pelosi are leading members of the House of Representatives: Gregory Meeks, Mark Takano, Suzan DelBene, Raja Krishnamoorthi and Andy Kim…reports Asian Lite News

    Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi has embarked on a trip to Asia which will take her to Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan, her office said in a statement, but did not mention of a stop in Taiwan.

    In the statement on Sunday, Pelosi’s office said that the “trip will focus on mutual security, economic partnership and democratic governance in the Indo-Pacific region”.

    “Today, our Congressional delegation travels to the Indo-Pacific to reaffirm America’s strong and unshakeable commitment to our allies and friends in the region,” the House Speaker was quoted as saying in the statement.

    “In Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan, our delegation will hold high-level meetings to discuss how we can further advance our shared interests and values, including peace and security, economic growth and trade, the Covid-19 pandemic, the climate crisis, human rights and democratic governance.

    “Under the strong leadership of President Biden, America is firmly committed to smart, strategic engagement in the region, understanding that a free and flourishing Indo-Pacific is crucial to prosperity in our nation and around the globe,” she added.

    Member of the delegation accompanying Pelosi are leading members of the House of Representatives: Gregory Meeks, Mark Takano, Suzan DelBene, Raja Krishnamoorthi and Andy Kim.

    The commencement of the trip comes after tensions again heightened between the US and China over speculation that Pelosi could also make a stop in Taiwan.

    China, which claims Taiwan, warned of “serious consequences” over the possible visit, the BBC reported.

    Pelosi’s original plan was to visit Taiwan in April, but she postponed the trip after she tested positive for Covid-19.

    he last House Speaker to visit Taiwan was Republican Newt Gingrich in 1997.

    ALSO READ-US military making plans in case Pelosi travels to Taiwan