“Get ready for war!” read a message posted by China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) 80th Group over the US visit to Taiwan, as reported on Friday, July 29.
China’s Army’s war message over the potential US visit to Taiwan reportedly generated over 300,000 thumbs-up in just 12 hours, creating “high morale among Chinese soldiers” according to Global Times.
The message was posted on China’s social network Weibo, with pictures of the post since circulating on Twitter:
One user posted:
🇨🇳⚔️🇺🇸🇹🇼"Get ready for war!"
Such a message appeared on the official account of the 80th Army of the People's Liberation Army of China on the Weibo social network. pic.twitter.com/DHjXOmrV3Y
— AZ 🛰🌏🌍🌎 (@AZmilitary1) July 29, 2022
The post on China readying for war, comes after Nancy Pelosi, speaker for the United States House of Representatives, has enraged China after talks of a possible US visit to Taiwan, a move that would potentially recognize Taiwan as an independent sovereign state, and not as the Republic of China.
Pelosi’s plane allegedly took off towards Taiwan:
JUST IN – Pelosi is now en route to Asia: reports. pic.twitter.com/1DOlG8RNgB
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) July 30, 2022
However, many politicians are concerned that now that the news of the hypothetical visit has spread, if the US does not send Pelosi, it will look like the nation has backed down in front of China.
Seeming to stop just short of saying she would make a stop in Taiwan, Pelosi said: “I’m very excited that should we go to the countries, that you’ll be hearing about along the way about the conversations” she would have there.
The US has seen no evidence Chinese preparations for military activity against Taiwan, Kirby said.
“[We have] seen no physical, tangible indications of anything untoward with respect to Taiwan,” he said.
However, China yesterday morning held live-fire military drills in the Taiwan Strait, which Beijing announced via state media yesterday.
The maneuvers were limited in scope and took place off the island of Pingtan in China’s Fujian Province, about 120km from the coast of Taiwan, the statement reported by Chinese media said.
As Taiwan scrambled fighter jets from the Chiayi Air Base, things are getting even more severe.
Video below:
#BreakingNews #Newsnight
Chinese troops begin firing live artillery shells in the Taiwan Strait.While #China maintains this is just an exercise, Taiwan has just scrambled fighter jets from the Chiayi Air Base.
Source {Terror Alerts} pic.twitter.com/2QaaVVMuTP
— RawNews1st🎥📰 (@Raw_News1st) July 30, 2022
Taiwan on the other hand is in the middle of its annual military preparation for the Chinese invasion known as “The Han Kuang Exercise”, which started on Monday, July 25.
Biden said earlier this month that the Pentagon thinks a Pelosi trip to Taiwan is “not a good idea right now.”
In Taipei, defense officials who briefed reporters on Friday declined to discuss any potential preparations for a trip.
Biden has designed his foreign policy in part around countering China’s growing economic and military might. Pelosi’s itinerary has also become a domestic political issue, with some Republicans urging her to visit Taiwan to stand up to Beijing.
Kirby said on Friday that Pelosi “does not need nor do we offer approval or disapproval” for travel, adding: “The speaker is entitled to travel aboard a military aircraft.”