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US aircraft carrier group heads towards Taiwan as tension over Nancy Pelosi’s possible visit continues to grow

  • The USS Ronald Reagan and its escorts left Singapore on Monday sailing northeast, according to ship tracking information
  • The ship’s deployment comes after Beijing warned it would ‘take strong measures’ if the US house speaker visits the island

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The USS Ronald Reagan pictured during an exercise with South Korean warships. Photo: AP,
Liu Zhen
China and the United States are building up their military strength around the Taiwan Strait as tensions rise over US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s possible visit to the island.
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The American aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and its strike group, including a guided missile destroyer and a guided missile cruiser, set out from Singapore on Monday heading northeast towards the South China Sea, according to ship-tracking information provided by Beijing-based think tank the South China Sea Strategic Probing Initiative.

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Taiwan president oversees annual military drill amid tensions with Beijing

Taiwan president oversees annual military drill amid tensions with Beijing

The US military has not disclosed its final destination, but the route would bring the carrier group to the Taiwan Strait if it continues in the same direction. Meanwhile, China is also building up its aerial strength in the region.

Pelosi has yet to confirm her travel plans, but if she does visit she would be the highest-ranking US politician to visit the island since 1997, and Beijing has warned it would see the visit as a dangerous provocation.

A Chinese ministry of defence spokesman has warned that the People’s Liberation Army would “take strong measures” if the speaker “insisted on going ahead”.

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US officials have told the Associated Press that if her visit goes ahead, the military will increase its movement of forces and assets in the Indo-Pacific region. They said fighter jets, ships, surveillance assets and other military systems were likely to be used to provide overlapping rings of protection for her flight to Taiwan and when she arrives on the island.
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