Iran Press/ Asia: A US aircraft carrier and strike group have entered the South China Sea as part of what the 7th Fleet said was a scheduled operation amid rising tensions with China over a potential Chinese Taipei visit by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
The USS Ronald Reagan, a Nimitz-class nuclear-powered supercarrier, made its way to the disputed waters following a five-day port call to Singapore, departing Changi Naval Base on Tuesday, the US 7th Fleet said in reply to a query from Bloomberg News.
The trip follows remarks this week by China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian that Beijing was getting “seriously prepared” for the possibility that Pelosi could visit Chinese Taipei.
China once again warned the United States of “consequences” over a potential visit by US House Speaker to Chinese Taipei, with tensions soaring ahead of an expected phone call between American President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.
The strongly-worded statement from Beijing on Wednesday came in response to reports last week that 82-year-old Pelosi, a Democrat who is second in the presidential line of succession, could pay a visit to the self-ruled island in August.
“We are firmly opposed to Speaker Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan. If the US pushes ahead and challenges China’s bottom line... the US side will bear all the consequences,” warned Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian at a regular press conference.
China has repeatedly warned the US against formal ties with Chinese Taipei, which is the sovereign territory of China.
Under the “One China” policy, nearly all countries across the globe recognize Beijing’s sovereignty over Chinese Taipei, including the US, which has no formal diplomatic ties with the territory but continues to support its anti-China stance and supply it with massive amounts of armaments.
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