Biden administration officials fear China could seek to declare a no-fly zone over Taiwan ahead of a possible visit by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in an attempt to reverse the move, which could further heighten tensions in the region, a US official told CNN. .
China could also respond by flying fighter jets further into Taiwan’s air defense zone, which could prompt a response from Taiwan and the US, the official added. They did not specify what a possible response would entail.
China has sent warplanes into Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone numerous times in recent months, an act that does not violate any international law but usually results in Taiwan taking preemptive defensive measures, including occasionally grounding its fighter jets.
Chinese planes did not enter the island’s territorial airspace – an area extending 12 nautical miles from its coast.
The State Department has called on China to stop intimidating Taiwan.
Pelosi planned to travel to Taiwan in the coming weeks, according to three sources familiar with the planning process.
While other members of Congress and former US officials have visited Taiwan this year, Pelosi would be the highest-ranking US lawmaker to visit Taiwan in 25 years. Then-Speaker Newt Gingrich traveled there in 1997.
Tensions between Washington and Beijing over the Taiwan issue have risen in recent months. China’s Communist Party has long claimed democratically-ruled Taiwan as part of its territory and has repeatedly vowed to “reunify” the island of 24 million people — by force if necessary — despite never having ruled it. The U.S. has pledged to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself, although recent arms sales to Taiwan have been slow, raising concerns among U.S. lawmakers.
The Chinese Embassy in Washington referred CNN to remarks by a State Department spokesman expressing firm opposition to a possible visit by Pelosi when asked to comment on airspace concerns.
The Financial Times first reported Pelosi’s plans for the visit.
President Joe Biden cited the U.S. military’s concerns about Pelosi’s possible trip earlier this week.
“I think the military right now thinks it’s not a good idea, but I don’t know what the status is,” Biden said Wednesday when asked if it was a good idea for Pelosi to travel to the self-governing island.
Col. Dave Butler, a spokesman for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the military “generally” informs decision makers about military assessments. “We talk about what adversaries can do, we discuss logistics and military plans and preparedness,” Butler said. He declined to say whether Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley had spoken with Pelosi about the proposed trip to Taiwan.
Pelosi said it was important to show support for Taiwan on Thursday, but said she would not discuss any travel plans and called for a security issue. Pelosi said she had heard “off the record” about Biden’s comments about her possible visit, but said she had not heard directly from the president.
“I think the president said maybe the military was afraid of my plane being shot down or something like that. I don’t know exactly,” Pelosi said.
State Department officials also have some concerns, two sources said. State Department spokesman Ned Price on Thursday deflected questions about the trip, calling it “hypothetical” at this point.
“I’m not going to offer any advice from the podium,” Price said when asked about the State Department’s stance on her possible visit.
Price reiterated that the Biden administration is still sticking to its one-China policy, noting that the US does not maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan but has “robust unofficial” relations with the island.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian on Tuesday expressed disapproval of a possible visit by Pelosi, saying it would “seriously violate the one-China principle and the provisions in the three Sino-US joint communiqués and harm China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
A spokeswoman for Taiwan’s official office in DC, Sabina Chang, told CNN that Taiwan “has not received any information about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s planned visit to Taiwan.”