Without question, the spectacle of United States House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi arriving in Taiwan with more than a dozen US warplanes providing protective cover was an image that conveyed America's dominance of the global skies and ability to pursue its interests unilaterally.
Down below, the US Navy had positioned three large-deck ships along Mrs Pelosi's flight path - the USS Ronald Reagan, a veritable floating township with a contingent of more than 2,800 on board, and two large amphibious assault vessels.
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