Just minutes after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday, China began military exercises around Taiwan to “rehearse” ways China could take the country “by force” in the future. According to CNN, “Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense said 27 Chinese warplanes made incursions into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone, and 22 planes crossed the median line dividing the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday — an unprecedented number since Taiwan began publicly releasing information about China’s air incursions about two years ago.” Chinese military official Song Zhongping told China’s government-run Global Times, “In the event of a future military conflict,

China will launch military operations encircling Taiwan in retaliation to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) arrival in the country on Tuesday. “Beijing announced six exclusion zones encircling Taiwan to facilitate live-fire military drills from Thursday to Sunday, with some of the areas crossing into the island’s territorial waters. The size and scope of the areas could set the stage for the Chinese military’s most provocative actions near Taiwan in decades,” Bloomberg News reported. Separately, the People’s Liberation Army said exercises could begin as soon as Tuesday, meaning that military activities could start while Pelosi was in Taiwan. These military operations include “long-range live firing

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D) has reportedly arrived in Taiwan after weeks of threats of retaliation from China. “Pelosi, who is conducting an extensive tour of multiple allied nations in Asia, has finally touched down in Taiwan despite repeated threats to the speaker’s safety,” Fox News reported. “Her plane touched down in Taiwan at approximately 10:45am EST.” “Our Congressional delegation’s visit to Taiwan honors America’s unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwan’s vibrant Democracy,” Pelosi said in a statement as she arrived. “Our visit is part of our broader trip to the Indo-Pacific — including Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan — focused on mutual security, economic