JAKARTA - Four US warships, including one aircraft carrier, are on alert in waters east of Taiwan, when US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is rumored to be heading to Taipei.
The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) has transited the South China Sea and is currently in the Philippine Sea, east of Taiwan and the Philippines and south of Japan, a US Navy official told Reuters.
The Japan-based USS Reagan (CVN-76) operates with the Ticonderoga Class guided-missile cruiser USS Antietam (CG-54) and a missile destroyer USS Higgins (DDG-76).
"While they are capable of responding to any eventuality, this is a normal, routine deployment," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The official added that they could not comment on the exact location.
Not only the three, US Navy officials said the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli (LHA-76) was also in the area as part of a deployment to the region that began in early May from its home port of San Diego, United States.
Nancy Pelosi, a longtime critic of China, is expected to arrive in Taipei on Tuesday evening, people briefed on the matter said, as the United States has said it will not be intimidated by China's "bluff of the sword" over the visit.
Confirmation of the deployment came as signs emerged of military activity on both sides of the Taiwan strait ahead of Pelosi's visit.
In addition to Chinese planes flying close to the median line dividing the sensitive waterway early Tuesday, several Chinese warships have remained near the unofficial dividing line since Monday, a source briefed on the matter told Reuters.
However, China's Ministry of Defense and Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The source said both Chinese warships and planes "squeezed" the centerline early Tuesday, an unusual move the person described as "very provocative."
The person said the Chinese plane made repeated tactical moves by briefly "touching" the median line and turning back to the other side of the strait on Tuesday morning, while Taiwanese planes were on standby nearby.
Meanwhile, Taiwan's Defense Ministry said Tuesday it has full understanding of military activities near Taiwan and will send troops appropriately in response to "enemy threats" when tensions escalate with China.
The ministry had "strengthened" its combat alert level from Tuesday morning to Thursday afternoon, the island's official news agency reported on Tuesday, citing unnamed sources.
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In the southeastern Chinese city of Xiamen, which lies across from Taiwan and is home to a large military presence, residents reported sightings of armored vehicles in motion and posted pictures online. The photos have not been verified by Reuters.
Since last week, the People's Liberation Army has carried out various exercises, including live-fire drills, in South China, the Yellow Sea, and the Bohan Sea.
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