TOKYO, August 3. /TASS/. Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan leads to an unnecessary escalation in relations between Washington and Beijing and gives China an excuse to further increase its military spending, professor at the University of Tokyo and expert with the Tokyo Foundation for Policy Research Kazuto Suzuki told a TASS correspondent.
"Pelosi's visit to Taiwan is definitely increasing unnecessarily tension between the United States and China. There were already some actions for increasing surveillance of Chinese activities around Taiwan in the US bases in Japan, and the number of aircrafts in Kadena Airbase in Okinawa is increasing to be ready in case of military action by China," he said, noting that a "military incident" in the region would impact Japan as well.
That said, the expert thinks that in the long-term perspective, China may use Pelosi’s visit as an excuse to further bolster its military might and increase its spending in that sphere. "In the long-term, China will accelerate the military build-up and prepare for the future military conflict and reject the US influence over Taiwan," he explained.
He noted that it is possible to avoid unnecessary tensions if Washington and Beijing view Pelosi’s trip as a private visit and not an attempt by the US to counteract China. However, the expert added that "if China takes some military action, including military exercises around Taiwan, the tension remains very high." "In this case, the White House must take some action to calm the situation, perhaps another telephone summit between Biden and Xi," he explained.
The US and Japan have repeatedly reproached China for increasing its military spending and building up its military presence in the region, including in the waters of the East China Sea and the South China Sea.
Pelosi arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday. Her trip is 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.