After weeks of increasingly belligerent threats against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) plan to visit Taiwan — culminating in demands for the Chinese military to kidnap or murder her — the Chinese Communist Party’s Global Times on Tuesday played the last card in its deck by accusing Pelosi of cowardice for not publishing her flight plan sooner.
The Global Times applauded the Chinese Foreign Ministry and People’s Liberation Army (PLA) for “keeping up the pressure on the U.S.” by posting chest-beating social media videos, even as Pelosi’s plane took off from Malaysia en route to Taiwan:
In celebration of the 95th anniversary of the founding of the PLA, the PLA Eastern Theater Command on Monday released a video on social media, along with the message “We are fully prepared for any eventuality. Fight upon order, bury every intruder, move toward joint and successful operation!” The video has become one of the hottest topics on Sina Weibo, China’s Twitter-like social media platform. The hashtag on the topic has received at least 42.5 million views, with many netizens seeing it as a clear warning to Pelosi, who could make a surprise and provocative trip to China’s Taiwan island.
…
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian also said at a routine Monday press conference, “If you play with fire, you will get burned. I believe the US is fully aware of the strong and clear message delivered by China.”
If Pelosi visits the island of Taiwan, “the PLA will not sit idly by” and will take “resolute and strong countermeasures” to protect China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. As to what these measures are, Zhao said “if she dares to go, let’s wait and see.”
In this photo released by the Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, center, poses for photos after she arrives in Taipei, Taiwan, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2022. ( Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs via AP)
The article droned on for dozens of paragraphs, quoting a parade of Chinese officials and analysts who thundered about the PLA’s awesome capabilities and hair-trigger battle preparations, even as Pelosi’s plane was floating serenely past them.
A U.S. military aircraft with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on board prepares to land at Songshan Airport in Taipei on August 2, 2022. (Sam Yeh / AFP)
Chinese Foreign Ministry and the PLA are keeping up the pressure on the US over @SpeakerPelosi‘s potential visit to the island of #Taiwan, urging the US to honor #Biden‘s promise to not support “Taiwan independence.” https://t.co/vl5cIIXjCb
— Global Times (@globaltimesnews) August 1, 2022
None of this prevented Pelosi from touching down in Taipei as planned, so the Global Times consoled itself by claiming Pelosi and her delegation were at least intimidated out of making a splashy entrance with a flight plan and itinerary published in advance.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (R) being welcomed by Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (L) after landing at Songshan Airport in Taipei, Taiwan on August 2, 2022. (Photo by Taiwanese Foreign Ministry / Handout)
“Isn’t it hilarious that the No 3. political figure in the world’s No.1 country is hiding like a rat and being smug about it?” hooted “Taiwan-based cross-Straits expert” Chiu Yi.
The Global Times wrapped up its cope session by speculating on everything China and its invincible PLA might do to punish America and Taiwan for Pelosi’s visit since Beijing decided it “has no interest in getting involved in a spat with an 82-year-old lady.”
Lu Xiang, an “expert on U.S. studies” from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, muttered dark predictions that the PLA will “definitely fight back in kind” if the U.S. military ever decides to “get involved in China’s core interests,” and promised Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan “will not be welcomed by the most countries in Asia, as the losses from any possible conflict would be huge for the region rather than the U.S.”
