MOSCOW, August 2. /TASS/. Beijing will not launch a military operation over US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan but may cut diplomatic relations with Washington, Director of Moscow State University’s Institute of Asian and African Studies Alexey Maslov told TASS.
"I think, as for military operations, China is unlikely to go for it. However, I believe that it may come to a point where a threat will emerge of Beijing cutting diplomatic relations with the US," the expert pointed out.
According to the analyst, the visit may lead to the blocking of US and Taiwanese companies active in China, as well as to an economic blockade of Taiwan.
However, the expert emphasized that Chinese troops had been put on high alert ahead of Pelosi’s expected visit to Taiwan. Maslov stressed that it showed China’s preparedness for a military scenario. "Still, I think that there won’t be an attack on Taiwan in the near future," the expert noted. "Clearly, China will step up efforts aimed at the forceful integration of Taiwan. It will hardly happen right now but while in the past, China viewed the peaceful scenario as the main one, a military scenario will also become possible," Maslov explained.
Pelosi’s visit may become 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.
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.