by Yimou Lee
TAIPEI (Reuters) – Several Chinese fighter jets flew near the Taiwan Straits demarcation line on Tuesday morning, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters, while four U.S. warships were positioned to the east of the island, while the speaker of the American House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, was expected during the day in Taipei.
The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan transited the South China Sea and is currently in the Philippine Sea, east of Taiwan and the Philippines and south of Japan, a navy official confirmed to Reuters on Tuesday. American.
The Japan-based Reagan operates with a guided missile cruiser, USS Antietam, and a destroyer, USS Higgins.
“Although they are capable of responding to any eventuality, these are normal and routine deployments,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The US Navy official said the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli was also in the area as part of a deployment to the region that began in early May from its homeport of San Diego.
China, which considers Taiwan as a renegade province and does not rule out the use of force to bring it back into its fold, has repeatedly warned against a visit by Nancy Pelosi to the democratic island, according to it. fuel tensions in the region.
Beijing sent several planes to fly over near the demarcation line of the sensitive Taiwan Strait, a source said, while several Chinese warships had already been in the area since Monday.
This source described as “very provocative” the movements of the Chinese aircraft.
China’s defense and foreign ministries did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense said in a statement that it had “the determination, the ability and the confidence” to ensure the island’s security, adding that it had already planned a series of plans – unspecified – to deal with emergencies.
The ministry specifies that it will distribute in an appropriate way the military capacities which it has in the area to face the “enemy threats”.
Taipei “enhanced” its military alert level on Tuesday morning until noon Thursday, the official Taiwanese news agency reported, citing unidentified sources.
Nancy Pelosi and her delegation may arrive in Taiwan early on Wednesday, when most of the US representative’s meetings are scheduled for that day – including a meeting with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen – a person briefed said. of the Pelosi route.
“Everything is uncertain,” added this source.
(Reportage Yimou Lee; French version Jean Terzian, Myriam Rivet and Augustin Turpin, edited by Kate Entringer)