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The Diplomat (17 August 2022)

Olli Pekka Suorsa and Adrian Ang U-Jin

We have argued previously in The Diplomat that China uses aerial incursions into Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) to signal its displeasure at closer diplomatic ties between Washington and Taipei. While it was anticipated that China would react strongly to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, in defiance of warnings from Beijing, the breadth and depth of Beijing’s fury brought the situation to the brink of another Taiwan Strait crisis.

Pelosi arrived in Taiwan late on August 2. China retaliated by sanctioning natural sand exports to Taiwan and suspending imports of fruits and seafood from the island. Taiwan’s presidential office and various government departments were also subject to cyberattacks. Prior to Pelosi’s arrival, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) launched a 21-sortie incursion into Taiwan’s ADIZ, with several Chinese aircraft reportedly “squeezing” the median line of the Taiwan Strait before circling back.

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