China not only started maneuvers in front of Taiwan after US Parliament President Pelosi’s visit to Taipei. It has also suspended military dialogue with the US. This is negligent.
China’s head of state and party Xi Jinping, must show strength. In the fall, he hopes to secure a third term at the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party. The course for this has been set. Xi Jinping has already formally overturned the previous two-period limit. But his enthronement is not quite over the stage yet. After two years of the pandemic, things are no longer going so smoothly in the Middle Kingdom. The zero Covid strategy is proving to be a boomerang. The strict lockdowns have paralyzed economic growth. Beijing’s ruler cannot afford the appearance of political weakness in this delicate phase. This is another reason why he has so far relied entirely on confrontation in the current Taiwan crisis.
The visit by the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy, was for the People’s Republic pelosi, in Taipei a provocation. Because China regards Taiwan as its integral part, which it wants to force under its yoke. International politicians keep visiting the democratically governed island, often including members of the US Congress. But such a high-ranking guest from the USA as Pelosi, number three according to protocol, had not been there for a quarter of a century before that.