During a congressional visit to Taiwan, Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, is being criticised by Australian former prime minister Paul Keating. According to a statement released on July 25, he said the congressional delegation, which Pelosi heads, might "degenerate into military hostilities" and that there could be "no recklesser and provocative act."
Keating’s understanding of the Australia-China relationship may well have been developed with Australia’s national interest in mind. However, raising the spectre of a military conflict is an example of scaremongering politics which, itself, may fan the embers of an armed confrontation between Australia and China.
If Pelosi's congressional trip goes forward, the Chinese regime is planning "massive retaliation," writes Josh Rogin in The Washington Post. Pelosi's plane has been suggested as a potential target for Chinese military action by doomsayers.
On this issue, it is instructive to note that the United States does not speak with one voice on this matter. Indeed, according to reports, the White House is not in favour of Pelosi’s proposed congressional visit and the American military has warned her of possible CCP retaliatory action.
28 July 2022
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