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Aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan heads to waters southeast of Taiwan — think tank

On Sunday, a delegation led by Nancy Pelosi left for Asia in order to visit Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan

BEIJING, August 1. /TASS/. The Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group has headed to the waters southeast of Taiwan, China’s SCSPI think tank reported on Monday.

According to it, on July 30, the US Navy carrier strike group left the South China Sea and entered the Philippine Sea through the San Bernardino Strait. Following this, the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan passed Luzon Island in the Philippine Archipelago and turned north towards Taiwan. According to the think tank, currently, it may be located about 800 kilometers to the southeast of Taiwan.

The SCSPI noted that in the morning of August 1, a US carrier cargo aircraft Grumman C-2 Greyhound took off from Kadena Air Base in Okinawa and headed to the waters south of the Luzon Strait.

The think tank pointed out that given the situation, it was not possible to rule out an unannounced visit by Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan.

On Sunday, a delegation led by Pelosi left for Asia in order to visit Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan. A visit to Taiwan is not mentioned in a statement on Pelosi’s official site.

However, American and Taiwanese news outlets insist that Pelosi may still visit the island on August 2. Additionally, on August 3, Pelosi may meet with Taiwan's regional leader Tsai Ing-wen, the Kyodo news agency noted.

This trip may become the first visit of a Speaker of the US House of Representatives to Taiwan in the last 25 years. Beijing repeatedly cautioned Washington that if Pelosi visited the island, this would have repercussions and China would take severe measures.

Taiwan has been governed by its local administration since 1949 when the remaining Kuomintang forces led by Chiang Kai-shek (1887-1975) fled to the island after suffering a defeat in China’s civil war. Since then, Taiwan has preserved the flag and some other symbols of the Republic of China that had existed in mainland China before the Communists came to power. Beijing regards the island as one of its provinces and this position is supported by most countries, including Russia.

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