A few Chinese old-timers read the pages of a newspaper on Wednesday hung up behind glass on an outdoor display board in a relic of pre-smartphone days when that's how people in China got the news. Wang Junzhong, 70, peered at an editorial in the Global Times, an outspoken, fiercely nationalistic voice of the ruling Communist Party.
The headline read, “To safeguard national sovereignty and security, the Chinese military dares to show the spirit of the sword.”
After weeks of threatening rhetoric, China showed spirit but stopped short of any direct military confrontation with the US over the visit to Taiwan of a senior American politician, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Instead, it opted for military drills as a show of force, sending fighter jets into the air and scrambling crews on navy ships in simulated emergencies after Pelosi defied Chinese warnings and flew into Taiwan on a US government plane on Tuesday night.
The failure to stop Pelosi from visiting Taiwan — a self-governing island that China claims as its territory — disappointed some Chinese who had been riled up by the government's tough words ahead of her trip. But Wang, in long sleeves and long pants despite the muggy weather, expressed understanding.
“If China didn't care about its people, it could just go ahead and use force,” Wang said. “If China cares about its people, it's fine to tolerate for now. There is not much we can do. I think the leaders are facing a dilemma.” Bringing Taiwan, an island of 23 million people just 160 kilometers off China's east coast, under Chinese control is a longstanding goal of the Communist Party.
Its leaders say that Taiwan is part of China and that the US and other countries have no right to meddle in what it considers a domestic issue.
The US, under a one-China policy, doesn't recognise Taiwan as a nation but maintains informal relations and defence ties with its government — to China's displeasure.
But China loathes to get into a war with the United States, even as it adds aircraft carriers and high-tech weaponry to its forces.
