US deploys warships near Taiwan as Pelosi arrives in Chinese Taipei

The American military has deployed four warships, including an aircraft carrier, near Taiwan amid soaring tensions over the US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to the self-ruled island, with Beijing warning that Washington will "pay the price." 

Media reports cited a US navy official as saying on Tuesday that the carrier USS Ronald Reagan had transited the South China Sea and was currently in the Philippines Sea, east of Chinese Taipei.

The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the carrier was operating with a guided missile cruiser, USS Antietam, and a destroyer, USS Higgins. The official said the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli was also in the area.

Describing the deployments as "routine," the official said, "While they are able to respond to any eventuality, these are normal, routine deployments."

The visit by the US House speaker, who is third in the line of succession to the presidency and a long-time critic of China, comes amid deteriorating relations between the US and China.

Beijing has repeatedly warned the US government against formal ties with Taipei, which is the sovereign territory of China.

Under the "one China" policy, nearly all countries across the globe recognize Beijing's sovereignty over Chinese Taipei, including the US, which nevertheless courts the secessionist government in Taipei, supports its anti-China stance, and supplies it with massive amounts of armaments.

China warned on Tuesday that the United States would "pay the price" if Pelosi visited Taiwan during her Asia trip. "The US side will bear the responsibility and pay the price for undermining China's sovereign security interests," China's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a regular press briefing in Beijing.

Media reports said on Tuesday that several Chinese planes and warships flew and sailed close to the median line dividing the Taiwan Strait ahead of Pelosi’s visit.

The Chinese aircraft repeatedly conducted tactical moves of briefly "touching" the median line and circling back to the other side of the strait while Taiwanese aircraft were on standby nearby.

In a call with US President Joe Biden last week, Chinese President Xi Jinping also warned the United States against "playing with fire" on Taiwan.

While the Biden administration pretends to be opposed to the Taipei trip, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the House speaker was entitled to go where she favored. "There is no reason for Beijing to turn a potential visit consistent with longstanding US policies into some sort of crisis," he told reporters. Kirby also reiterated that Washington’s policy was unchanged toward Taipei.

Russia slams Pelosi's potential visit as provocation

Meanwhile, Russia earlier on Tuesday expressed full solidarity with China and censured the visit by Pelosi to Taiwan as a pure provocation.

"What is connected with this tour and a possible visit to Taiwan is a pure provocation," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

Peskov said the visit was leading to an "increase in tension" in the region and accused Washington of choosing "the path of confrontation."

"We want to emphasize once again that we are absolutely in solidarity with China, its attitude towards the problem is understandable and absolutely justified," he said.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova also accused the United States of being provocative with the potential visit.

"Washington is bringing destabilization to the world. Not a single resolved conflict in recent decades, but many provoked ones," she said on social media.

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