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Chinese warplanes may intercept US house speaker’s aircraft, expert says

According to military aviation expert Fu Qianshao, China's army, navy and air force are now far more capable of intercepting and striking than they were during the 1996 Taiwan Strait crisis

BEIJING, August 2. /TASS/. Chinese warplanes may intercept US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s aircraft or fire shells as a warning if the aircraft enters the area where Chinese military drills are taking place, China’s Global Times newspaper reported on Tuesday.

"If Pelosi's aircraft enters our exercise area, we would have to take measures to eject, intercept, escort, and send a radio warning," the paper quoted military aviation expert Fu Qianshao as saying. "If Pelosi gets her way, our warplanes may fire shells diagonally ahead of Pelosi's plane as a further warning," he added.

According to the expert, China's army, navy and air force are now far more capable of intercepting and striking than they were during the 1996 Taiwan Strait crisis.

According to the Taiwanese media, Pelosi plans to arrive in Taipei on an unannounced visit on Tuesday night. It would be the first trip to Taiwan by such a high-ranking US politician in the past 25 years. Beijing has repeatedly warned Washington of consequences if the visit took place. On Tuesday, China’s People's Liberation Army launched military drills in the South China Sea.