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Pelosi Lands In Taiwan, Defying China's Threatened Military Action

Pelosi Lands In Taiwan, Defying China's Threatened Military Action

Taipei (AFP) - US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi landed in Taiwan late Tuesday, defying a string of increasingly stark warnings and threats from China that have sent tensions between the world's two superpowers soaring.

Pelosi, second in line to the presidency, is the highest-profile elected US official to visit Taiwan in 25 years and Beijing has made clear that it regards her presence as a major provocation, setting the region on edge.

Live broadcasts showed the 82-year-old lawmaker, who flew on a US military aircraft, being greeted at Taipei's Songshan Airport by foreign minister Joseph Wu.

"Our delegation's visit to Taiwan honors America's unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwan's vibrant democracy," she said in a statement upon her arrival, adding that her visit "in no way contradicts" US policy towards Taipei and Beijing.

Taiwan said the trip displayed "rock solid" support from Washington.

Pelosi is currently on a tour of Asia and while neither she nor her office confirmed the Taipei visit in advance, multiple US and Taiwanese media outlets reported it was on the cards -- triggering days of mounting anger from Beijing.

China's military said it was on "high alert" and would "launch a series of targeted military actions in response" to the visit.

It promptly announced plans for a series of military exercises in waters around the island to begin on Wednesday, including "long-range live ammunition shooting" in the Taiwan Strait.

"Those who play with fire will perish by it," Beijing's foreign ministry added.

Taiwan's defence ministry said more than 21 Chinese military aircraft had flown on Tuesday into Taiwan's air defence identification zone -- an area wider than its territorial airspace that overlaps with part of China's own air defence zone.

No Need For 'Crisis'

China considers self-ruled, democratic Taiwan as its territory and has vowed to one day seize the island, by force if necessary.

It tries to keep Taiwan isolated on the world stage and opposes countries having official exchanges with Taipei.

In a call with US President Joe Biden last week, Chinese President Xi Jinping warned Washington against "playing with fire" on Taiwan.

While the Biden administration is understood to be opposed to Pelosi's Taiwan stop, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said she was entitled to go where she pleased.

"There is no reason for this to erupt into conflict. There's no change to our policy," he told CNN shortly after Pelosi's arrival.

The last speaker of the US House of Representatives to visit Taiwan was Newt Gingrich in 1997.

Kirby reiterated that US policy was unchanged toward Taiwan.

This means support for its self-ruling government, while diplomatically recognising Beijing over Taipei and opposing a formal independence declaration by Taiwan or a forceful takeover by China.

Russia's foreign ministry called Pelosi's visit a "clear provocation," and said Beijing "has the right to take necessary measures to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity over the Taiwan issue."

China has refused to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine and has been accused of providing diplomatic cover for the Kremlin by blasting Western sanctions and arms sales to Kyiv.

All Eyes On Taiwan

Pelosi left Kuala Lumpur Tuesday after meeting Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri and Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah.

So many people were tracking the US military plane ferrying her on FlightRadar that the website said some users experienced outages.

The plane took a circuitous route that avoided the South China Sea -- which Beijing claims -- before heading up the east coast of the Philippines.

Press access around Pelosi has been tightly restricted and limited to a handful or short statements confirming meetings with officials.

Her itinerary includes stops in South Korea and Japan -- but the prospect of a Taiwan trip dominated attention.

Taipei's government had stayed silent on whether she would visit but news kept leaking out.

The capital's famous Taipei 101 skyscraper was illuminated with the words "Speaker Pelosi... Thank You" on Tuesday night an hour before Pelosi's plane arrived.

- 'Seek to punish Taiwan' -

Taiwan's 23 million people have long lived with the possibility of an invasion, but that threat has intensified under Xi, China's most assertive ruler in a generation.

"Beijing shouldn't get to decide who can visit Taiwan or how the US should interact with Taiwan," Wang Ting-yu, a lawmaker from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, told AFP ahead of the visit.

"I think China's open intimidation is counter-effective."

Bonnie Glaser, director of the Asia programme at the US-based German Marshall Fund think tank, said the probability of Beijing choosing war was "low".

"But the probability that... (China) will take a series of military, economic, and diplomatic actions to show strength & resolve is not insignificant," she wrote on Twitter.

Taipei's Council of Agriculture on Tuesday said China had suspended the import of some Taiwanese goods, including some fishery products, tea and honey. The council said China cited regulatory breaches.

Pelosi's potential visit has been preceded by a flurry of military activity across the region that highlights how combustible the issue of Taiwan is.

Ted Cruz Decries ‘Elites’

Ted Cruz Decries ‘Elites’ For Hiring Private Security — Just Like He Does

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is complaining about liberal "elites" acquiring personal security but there is just one problem with his latest rant. According to The Daily Beast, it is highly hypocritical because he also has security.

The Texas senator made the controversial remarks when he appeared at the National Rifle Association’s annual convention on Friday, May 27. At the time, Cruz ranted about liberal “elites” who advocate for gun control while hiding behind “private security.”

However, the Beast has shed light on Cruz's itemized expenses highlighting the cost his campaign has paid for security since October 2022.

"Since October 2020, the Cruz campaign has paid Houston-area executive protection firm Atlas Glinn nearly half a million dollars to protect himself and his family—$499,661, almost all of it in monthly lump sums averaging around $30,000, according to federal disclosures. (The Atlas Glinn website features a photo of a security detail guarding Cruz in a parade car.)"

In fact, Cruz is considered the biggest Republican spender where the cost of security is concerned. However, data compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics, also indicates that he receives the most monetary support from pro-gun law advocacy groups. Behind Cruz's spending are three Democratic lawmakers. Sens. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), and Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) have all spent at least $300,000 on security. According to financial statements, Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) has reported approximately $122,000 in security expenses.

Speaking to the Beast, Swalwell explained his reason for incorporating security. As manager of former President Donald Trump's second impeachment trial, the California Democrat faced numerous threats and personal attacks from Trump supporters.

“As the father to three children in diapers, I’m especially mindful of my kids’ security. Since Fox News [broadcast] footage of my home and numeric street address on-air in December 2020, my children have been limited in their ability to play out front. To protect my family, on some occasions we have hired trained security professionals,” Swalwell said.

“I do not oppose guns. I like guns. I enjoy shooting,” he continued. “And the security professionals I have hired are trained.”

“What I don’t like,” Swalwell continued, “is a country of unrestricted weaponry that allows the most dangerous weapons to end up in the hands of the most dangerous people. We can still be a country that allows its citizens to shoot for sport, hunt with your kids, and protect your home and not allow weapons of mass destruction to mow down our children.”

When asked about the campaign expenses, Cruz's spokesperson spoke with the Beast and insisted that he has faced an onslaught of death threats.

“Senator Cruz has received thousands of death threats from angry Leftists and there are several individuals being prosecuted by the Department of Justice because of threats on the Senator as we speak. If you don’t think that is a legitimate reason for security you should probably have your head checked,” the spokesperson said. “Senator Cruz supports the Second Amendment right of every law-abiding Texan and American adult to protect themselves.”

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

Learn How To Hack And Secure IT Systems – For Under $50

Learn How To Hack And Secure IT Systems – For Under $50

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeWith news breaking all the time about the latest cyber security breaches to compromise business, personal, and even government systems both big and small, it’s easy to get the impression that IT security is a purely defensive game. However, the best ethical hackers play plenty of offense as well, using a forward-thinking approach to identify threats and neutralize them before they become major threats.

You can join the international effort to secure the web from cyber-terrorism with the training of the Super-Sized Ethical Hacking course bundle, on sale right now for just $43 (over 90 percent off) from The National Memo Store.

This package may seem intimidating at first, packing in over 78 hours of instruction across nine mammoth courses, but once you jump in, even as a pure IT security novice, you’ll quickly understand the terms, tools and methods you’ll need to become a full-service ethical hacker.

After working your way through the introductory courses (Ethical Hacking From Scratch to Advanced Techniques, Learn Social Engineering From Scratch, Complete WiFi and Network Ethical Hacking Course 2017 and Cyber Security Volume I: Hackers Exposed), you’ll be ready to move up to more complex operations to help better identify external threats, beat them back, and refortify your security to make sure similar vulnerabilities don’t happen again.

From there, you’ll move on to actual hands on work using the most powerful pentesting tools in a hacker’s arsenal (Ethical Hacking Using Kali Linux From A to Z, Learn Website Hacking and Penetration Testing From Scratch and Hands on, Interactive Penetration Testing & Ethical Hacking). You’ll also work on the knowledge you need to ace the industry-recognized CompTIA certification exam (CompTIA Security + Exam Preparation). This training is even thinking about your bottom line, with ways to get in and start making money immediately with your newfound skills (Bug Bounty: Web Hacking).

The IT security ranks swell every day and you can be a part of that surge with comprehensive training for a limited time – at more than 90 percent off, to boot!

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Three Everyday Carry Accessories To Add To Your Keychain — Up To 25 Percent Off

Three Everyday Carry Accessories To Add To Your Keychain — Up To 25 Percent Off

Keychains are… well, keychains. You don’t think much about ‘em, really. They hold your keys in place, they slip into your pocket without notice, they serve their role and you go about your day.

But that’s selling the keychain short. That constant traveling companion can offer so much more than life as a simple key sherpa. We thought long and hard about this at The National Memo Store and we’ve come up with some ideas – all accompanied with big discounts, of course – that may make you rethink exactly what your keychain could and should be.

Key Safe

Why should a keychain simply hold keys? Key Safe says it doesn’t have to. Just hook this tough steel cylinder to your ring and you’ve got a safe, secure compartment to store cash, medication, sentimental things — basically, any small object you want to keep a constant eye on. It’s waterproof and it comes in sleek black or stainless steel varieties.

Buy now: Key Safe is 10% off the $19.95 MSRP right now, for only $17.95.

Beta-QR Quick Release Keychain Flashlight

Another perfect accessory for the wannabe Boy Scout who endeavors to be ready for anything. This aluminum casing keychain LED flashlight is several times more powerful than a much bigger D-cell-driven Mag-Lite — yet runs off a standard AAA battery and clips effortlessly to your ring. When you’re ready to use it, it’s got a quick release feature to quickly detach it from the ring — not to mention high color rendering light that throws back maximum color visibility without natural daylight. Did we mention it’s also super-small?

https://youtube.com/watch?v=ybrfCGLGtAk%3Flist%3DUUEdJeiDK2r7DMJTLZchkmKQ

Buy now: Quit fumbling around the dark with this bad boy, now also 10 percent off at $52.99.

Orbitkey 2.0 with Multitool

Save the key swarms for the janitor. Step up to a more refined, more functional keychain with this stylish key organizer. The Orbitkey 2.0 holds up to 7 keys efficiently with a canvas and leather build that looks as cool as it is sturdy and durable. Best of all, it comes with a multi-tool that serves as a bottle opener, box cutter, hex wrench, screwdriver and file. Ruthless functionality within an economy of space… what more could you ask for?

Buy now: With this limited time deal, the Orbitkey is available now for only $34.90, a 25% discount.

For a limited time, you can use code BYESUMMER for an additional 15% off these great deals and more. Shop our summer blowout sale here. (Thru September 4th.)

This sponsored post is brought to you by StackCommerce.