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Power Play: The Taiwan tinderbox
Beijing is not ready for war, but it means business
How has the Pelosi visit affected the calculations of the United States and China in their face-off over Taiwan? The Straits Times' correspondents in Beijing and Washington look at their actions and responses.
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A missile being fired by the Chinese military during drills on Aug 4, 2022.
PHOTO: AFP/PLA EASTERN THEATER COMMAND
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For months in the mid-1990s, China conducted military exercises and missile tests near Taiwan. It lobbed short-range ballistic missiles in the waters near the self-ruled island, and rehearsed amphibious landing exercises.
That crisis was sparked by Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui's visit to his alma mater, Cornell University, in the summer of 1995. In Beijing's eyes, Mr Lee was a separatist, and months later as Taiwan was about to conduct its first direct presidential election, Beijing launched more missiles to warn voters against voting for him.
