China tells military to be ready

Beijing. China’s official media reported on Tuesday that the country’s air and ground forces were moving towards the Taiwan Strait. The Taiwan Strait separates mainland China from Taiwan. Beijing has taken this step after Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the lower house of the US Congress (Parliament), arrived in Taiwan despite her stern warnings.

As Taiwanese media reported on Pelosi’s arrival on the island, China’s official social media reported a massive military move towards the Taiwan Strait. The official China Daily, quoting social media, reported that more than 20 Sukhoi-35 fighter aircraft of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force are crossing the Taiwan Strait.

Images shared on China’s local social media platform ‘Weibo’, modeled on Twitter, show armored vehicles moving towards the southern Chinese port city of Xiamen. This city is on the southeast coast of China, which is towards Taiwan. In another tweet, China Daily reported that the PLA’s Eastern Theater Command said the force was in a high alert state and “ready to take on the enemy as soon as ordered”.

China has been regularly opposing the visit of a foreign personality to Taiwan. It claims that it follows the one China policy and insists that other countries follow it. It believes that Taiwan is part of the mainland. China’s foreign ministry in Beijing said the US would “pay a heavy price” if Pelosi came to Taiwan.

China’s assistant foreign minister and spokesperson Hua Chunying told the media on Tuesday, “The US will be responsible for undermining China’s sovereignty, security and interests, and it will have to pay the price.” Will take strong action.