China Restraint on Taiwan Shows Xi Has Bigger Concerns Now
- Response muted to Tsai-McCarthy meeting compared with 2022
- Xi hosting Macron in Beijing, pushing for peace in Ukraine
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After former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi touched down in Taiwan last year, it took less than an hour for China to announce missile tests and military drills encircling the island.
By that standard, Beijing’s initial reaction to President Tsai Ing-wen’s unprecedented meeting on US soil with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has been muted. Although China released statements condemning the meeting and sent an aircraft carrier in waters just south of the main island, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said Thursday morning it detected only one Chinese military aircraft and three vessels in the surrounding region over the past 24 hours.