China’s response to Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan is just an “empty threat”: Former State Department official

The trip to Taiwan, proposed by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, has spurred some diplomatic events this week as government officials and experts publicly opposed the usefulness of the trip as the Communist Party’s threat from China increased. I put it on.

The White House then revealed that Pelosi had received standard military opinion on the security situation associated with Taiwan.

“When she travels abroad, it is commonplace for us to provide the facts, analysis, context and geopolitical reality she will face wherever she goes.” Said John Kirby, an employee of the White House’s National Security Council.

“And there are always security issues surrounded by her travels. Depending on where she goes, how long she stays, and what the threats and challenges are, the Pentagon may be involved.”

Chinese Communist Party leaders are threatening “strong measures” against the United States and Taiwan if Pelosi’s trip advances. Following these statements, President Joe Biden publicly stated that such a trip was “not a good idea,” suggesting that the military was against it.

Biden’s statement frowned from both lawmakers and experts. They believed that they had exceeded the limits of both the president and the military in an attempt to manage the legislator’s personal travels.

Pelosi was confused by Biden’s remarks, saying the military could be concerned that it would shoot down the plane when it tried to land in Taiwan.Since then, General Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has I swore He said that if Pelosi visited the island, he would receive military escorts, raising concerns that China could launch a missile attack near Taiwan.

However, the dropout of such masses over the possibility of Pelosi’s travel may be a far greater safety concern than actually visiting Taiwan.

“People tend to be extreme when thinking about military action,” General David Stilwell, a former Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia Pacific, told The Epoch Times’ affiliate NTD. “And if you look at your history [Chinese] In the military response, especially in Taiwan, they are silent. “

“”[Meanwhile] We are talking about ourselves from things, and we are doing it very publicly. Our internal discussions need to stay inside. “

Regarding the various threats of the Chinese administration to Taiwan, the United States, and Pelosi himself, Stillwell said it was mostly enthusiastic. In addition, such an empty threat has further reduced Beijing’s position on the world stage, he said.

“they [China] It still plays the role of middle power in the second tier, “says Stilwell. “The idea is that they are not yet great powers. You see how they make promises or how they violate the agreement. This is a mid-level power with no real consequences. Is what you can do. “

“But as a great power, empty threats make it more difficult for future threats to actually produce the desired deterrent effect if they prove to be empty without the intent to prove them.”

Stillwell said Beijing’s increasingly warlike rhetoric, including the apparent threat of war, eventually undermined China’s Communist government as other nations no longer take them seriously. He said he would let him.

Stillwell said the United States is somehow “playing with fire” on the allegations made by Chinese leader Xi Jinping at a meeting with Biden on July 28.

“These are just idle, empty, hollow threats. [meant] To pull us down for free, “Stillwell said.

“We are in compliance with our commitments, so we know the fact that what we are doing never violates our commitments.”

The CCP claims that Taiwan is a separate state of China. Xi has vowed to integrate the island with the mainland and has not ruled out the use of power to do so. As part of this, Taiwan has been self-governing since 1949, has never been under CCP control, and boasts a prosperous democracy and market economy.

Although the United States does not have formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, it is bound by the Taiwan Relations Act and provides the necessary weapons for self-defense. Washington also maintains the doctrine of “policy of deliberate ambiguity” that neither confirms nor denies Taiwan’s defense during the Chinese invasion.

Overall, White House official Kirby said that most of Pelosi’s military aid is always expected, even if this particular situation is much more public than usual. I repeated that it was in good agreement with.

“Whenever MPs travel, we share with them geopolitical information about what is happening in the country or region. The state of national security,” Kirby said. “And it doesn’t matter whether it’s Taiwan or elsewhere in the world. We share that information, so it’s very clear what’s happening at that moment. “

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Andrew Thornebrooke is a reporter for The Epoch Times, which deals with China-related issues focusing on defense, military and national security. He holds a master’s degree in military history from Norridge University.