[Teeth53]

US...Joe 

A possible visit by number three top politician and Speaker of the US House of Representatives 

Nancy Pelosi, which could have triggered a direct military conflict between China and the US, Taiwan was thrust into the spotlight.

Amid the political-military tug of war between China and the US, Taiwan was relegated to a supporting actor role.

However, since the news of Pelosi’s potential visit to Taiwan was made known two weeks ago, China’s foreign ministry has issued five stern warnings, emphasising that it was “fully prepared for any eventuality”. Its defence ministry also warned that the People’s Liberation Army would not “sit idly by”.　

"... the current situation is not as tense as the three previous Taiwan Strait crises, and the biggest difference is Taiwan’s weakening role." — Lu Yeh-Chung, professor from the Department of Diplomacy at Taiwan’s National Chengchi University