Taiwan’s military is heightening its readiness as nearby Chinese military activity has increased ahead of rumors that US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will visit Taipei. Taiwan’s government has not confirmed reports of her visit but media reports say she will land in Taiwan Tuesday night.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) announced on Monday night that it will be conducting live-fire exercises in many places. Taiwan’s military says that in the past couple of days, Chinese intelligence ships and missile destroyers have been spotted near the outlying Orchid Island and Taiwan’s eastern coast of Hualien.
Taiwan’s military is on heightened alert but still remains under a “normal” level in its two-tier system. It has not yet escalated to the “emergency” level of readiness.
The People’s Liberation Army published a video on social media Monday highlighting land, sea, and airborne exercises. The post said China was "ready for battle."
China’s state broadcaster China Central Television also broadcasted on Monday the test firing of a Dongfeng-17 ballistic missile, which it said showed Chinese military's "solid strength."
Pelosi is on a tour of the Indo-Pacific region. Her itinerary includes Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, and Japan but a stop to Taipei has not been officially announced.