U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi¡¯s swing through Asia aimed to convey the U.S.¡¯s ¡°strong and unshakable¡± support for the region. It ended up leaving many countries in stunned silence as China conducted unprecedented military drills around Taiwan.
The shockwaves from the highest-level U.S. visit to Taiwan in a quarter century are still reverberating around the region days after she flew back to Washington. China¡¯s military has extended exercises designed to show an ability to encircle the island and cut off the Taiwan Strait, one of the world¡¯s busiest trade routes, days after launching missiles that likely flew over Taipei and into waters Japan claims as an exclusive economic zone.
On its own, such a display would normally generate widespread condemnation of China. But many governments also saw Pelosi¡¯s visit as a step too far ¡ª and they don¡¯t want to get caught in the middle.
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