Pelosi Plane En Route – Chinese Jets Buzz Taiwan Strait & Govt Websites Hit By Cyberattack
Sources speaking to Reuters have detailed that Chinese warplanes buzzed the dividing line separating the Taiwan Strait earlier in the day as House Speaker Pelosi’s US Air Force plane is said to be en route. In what marks the clearest sign that Beijing has prepped potential ‘military options’ – a flurry of Eastern Theater Command activity is taking place in waters and airspace just outside the self-ruled island of Taiwan:
In addition to Chinese planes flying close to the median line of the strait, several Chinese warships sailed near the unofficial dividing line since Monday, the source told Reuters. The source said both Chinese warships and aircraft “squeezed” the median line on Tuesday morning, an unusual move the person described as “very provocative.”
The Chinese aircraft repeatedly conducted tactical moves of briefly “touching” the median line and circling back to the other side of the strait on Tuesday morning, while Taiwanese aircraft were on standby nearby, the person said.
There have been conflicting reports that Taiwan’s forces are on “high alert” – particularly on the outer islands, however, which the defense ministry has sought to downplay.
📹| A new convoy of Chinese Army armored vehicles has arrived in #Fujian, the closest province to #Taiwan.pic.twitter.com/pr24fQbg0t
— EHA News (@eha_news) August 2, 2022
At the same time, social media continues to be flooded with videos appearing to show Chinese military hardware and armored convoys surging into Fujian province, which is the part of the mainland nearest Taiwan.
In follow-up, The South China Morning Post writes that this stepped up PLA activity is expected to continue:
The PLA could send warplanes across the median line that divides the Taiwan Strait if US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visits the democratic island, and analysts say it could start happening more regularly.
…A military source close to the People’s Liberation Army said it would step up its pressure campaign against Taiwan in response to a Pelosi visit and that “Beijing will give Taipei a hard time” afterwards.
JUST IN – Both aircraft carriers of China’s People’s Liberation Army move out from homeports, communist state-media reports.
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) August 2, 2022
Confirmation is now coming out that the official website of Taiwan’s presidency came under cyberattack earlier in the day.
President spokesman Xavier Chang described it as notably severe, “some 200 times worse than usual” – he said according to Bloomberg. At one point the website was inaccessible, but later came back online, he described, saying further that “government agencies will continue to strengthen monitoring to maintain the security of national information and communications, and the stable operation of key infrastructure.”
