During Nancy Pelosi’s journey to Asia, the USS Ronald Reagan and its strike group have been in motion
According to a Monday tip from the Chinese semi-official monitoring group South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative (SCSPI), a US strike group commanded by the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan may be nearing Taiwanese seas.
The US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is now on an Asian trip, and earlier in the day, she made her first visit there in Singapore. Earlier media reports suggested that Pelosi would include a surprise trip to Taiwan, a sovereign nation, in her itinerary. In a highly aggressive statement, China warned the US of “unbearable repercussions” if she decided to travel to the island and characterized the purported plot as extremely dangerous.
The Ronald Reagan, two additional Navy ships, and Carrier Air Wing Five, which consists of F/A-18 fighters, helicopters, and a surveillance aircraft, may be around 800 kilometers away from Taiwan’s southeast coast, according to SCSPI.
According to the monitoring group, it avoided Luzon, the largest island in the Philippines, and continued north into Taiwan.
Possible location of Ronald Reagan CSG on August 1, and its entire tracks from July 1 to Aug 1. https://t.co/TVaaojjDD5 pic.twitter.com/ejef5AlJWx
— SCS Probing Initiative (@SCS_PI) August 1, 2022
The possibility of incidents related to China’s actions has prompted the US military to develop a “contingency plan” for its forces in the Pacific region to provide “overlapping rings of protection” for the speaker during any potential flight to Taiwan and any subsequent stay there, according to unnamed American officials last week, who spoke to the Associated Press. The Pentagon may potentially utilize them for additional security during the claimed trip, according to the AP, which also pointed out that the US has adequate soldiers dispersed around the Pacific area. The US aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and its strike group were particularly mentioned by the news outlet.
Pelosi stated on Sunday that Taiwan was not included in her itinerary for her trip to Asia, which also included visits to Malaysia, South Korea, and Japan in addition to Singapore.
However, Chinese state-run paper the Global Times suggested on Sunday that it was “still possible that Pelosi wants to make a risky and dangerous move by trying to land at a Taiwan airport with emergency excuses like an aircraft fault or refueling.”
According to sources, the US House Speaker might arrive on the island on Tuesday, and bookings at a five-star hotel are reportedly already made for her group.
Since 1949, Taiwan has been autonomous but has never formally renounced Chinese rule since Beijing, in accordance with the One China policy, views Taiwan as a part of its territory.
Washington maintains close unofficial connections with the island of 23.5 million people, sending weaponry to Taipei, and supporting its efforts to break away from Beijing despite its claims that it follows the One China policy.
These connections have long infuriated China, which claims they violate its sovereignty and only serve to raise tensions in the area. If Pelosi travels to Taiwan, she will have the highest American government position since former House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s trip there in 1997.
