Back in 1972 a "saintly" "Hanoi" Jane Fonda does herself no favours by manning a North Vietnamese anti-US aircraft gun.
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Pete Comment:
The term "Taipei Nancy" evokes the unfortunate intervention of "Hanoi Jane".
US House of Representatives Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, out of personal inclination, as she has no role in US defense or foreign policy, is needlessly stirring up China by visiting Taiwan.
President Biden, on the advice of the US State, Defense Departments and CIA, had been suggesting for weeks Pelosi not go. But aging Biden's grasp of many things seems to be slipping - and Xi knows it.
The US still officially subscribes to the One-China Policy. But China's increasingly aggressive statements and actions together with contradictory comments from Biden, versus his own officials, are much mess making.
ARTICLE
The Guardian reports August 3, 2022, in part:
Nancy Pelosi has landed in Taiwan for a controversial visit to the self-ruled island, offering “unwavering commitment” to supporting its democracy as already heightened tensions with China escalate.
Timed with her arrival, China’s ministry of defence said the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) had been put on “high alert” and announced a series of targeted military operations, including missile tests in the waters east of Taiwan and drills encircling the main island for four days after Pelosi leaves.
China, which regards Taiwan as its territory, has repeatedly warned of retaliation for the visit. Shortly before Pelosi’s arrival, Chinese state media reported that Beijing’s Su-35 fighter jets were flying across the Taiwan strait.
Taipei subsequently dismissed the announcement as “fake news”.
China summoned the US ambassador in Beijing to rebuke him over Pelosi’s “egregious” trip to Taiwan, state media reported on Tuesday night. The deputy foreign minister, Xie Feng, voiced “strong protests” over Pelosi’s visit during his talk with Nicholas Burns.
The US House of Representatives speaker’s plane landed at Songshan airport in Taipei at about 10.45pm local time (17.45 BST) on Tuesday. She was greeted by Taiwan’s foreign minister, Joseph Wu, and the US representative in Taiwan, Sandra Oudkirk, and is expected to meet the president, Tsai Ing-wen, on Wednesday morning.
Pelosi tweeted shortly after her arrival that the visit honoured the US’s “unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwan’s vibrant democracy”.
She 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.”
An opinion piece by the House speaker, published by the Washington Post after she landed, said Beijing had intensified tensions with Taiwan and “this vibrant, robust democracy – […] proudly led by a woman, President Tsai Ing-wen – is under threat”. Her article also referenced China’s actions in Hong Kong and Tibet, and a “genocide” against Uyghurs.
She continued: “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.”
Taiwan’s party of government, the Democratic Progressive party, said it admired and respected Pelosi’s “moral courage”.
It said: “No threatening remarks or provocative actions can reduce even slightly the determination of Taiwan and its international friends to defend democracy and freedom.”
...The visit appeared to have prompted high levels of military movement and preparations by the Chinese, Taiwanese and US militaries.
The PLA reportedly moved several warships and planes near the median line – an unofficial border between China and Taiwan in the Taiwan strait...."
4 comments:
Hi Pete,
While Pelosi is getting a ton of attention and making both friends and enemies is as short a time as possible, some quite law making regarding Taiwan has been happening the US. Perhaps using Pelosi to distract China?
https://www.defensenews.com/opinion/commentary/2022/08/02/as-pelosi-visits-taiwan-dont-miss-the-action-in-congress/
Her flight path from Singapore to Taiwan was interesting. If China attacked, their planes or missiles would have to violate the airspace of several countries.
Andrew
Thanks Andrew
Regarding the "Menendez Bill" at the link you've located https://www.defensenews.com/opinion/commentary/2022/08/02/as-pelosi-visits-taiwan-dont-miss-the-action-in-congress/
It would be useful if the Biden Administration and Lawmakers could update the One-China Policy into something modern. See my misgivings on whats happening in the revised top of https://gentleseas.blogspot.com/2022/08/pelosi-now-in-taiwan-pokes-chinese-prc.html
Biden seems a bit weak and brain-muddled to lead China policy himself.
Regards Pete
FYI as Speaker of the House and leader of her party with a majority in the House, Pelosi has a large part in U.S. govt. ops.... as in authorizing and appropriating ANY funds for any military programs or operations, or not .....ditto in foreign affairs.
Yes Jim
The Speaker, Pelosi, can influence State Dep and Defence budgets and even the CIA's and NSA's for that matter, but that doesn't mean she should be an active participant in foreign countries.
It should be Biden who is most influential in major Taiwan policy changes and he should have the weight of office to influence Pelosi's personal visions for other countries.
This is when China promised it would take military action over Taipei Nancy and now the major crisis that even Biden expected has come to pass.
The Pelosi Crisis is now impacting other countiers not just your own USA. Chinese missiles are also dropping into Japanese waters and all countries are impacted by Taiwan silicon chip supply chain shortages - made worse by a US Speaker even older and out of touch at 82 than mentally impaired Biden (79).
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What is it about the US? Swinging between Gerontocracy and unfit extremist alternatives like Trump!?
Gerontocracy being a form of oligarchical rule in which a country is ruled by leaders who are significantly older than most of the adult population.
This is often correlated with increasing mental impairment, decreasing energy and declining general health.
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