The visit to Taiwan by Nancy Pelosi, a high-profile critic of Beijing, comes at a sensitive time for China.
China’s military, the People’s Liberation Army, celebrated its founding anniversary on August 1, and Xi Jinping, the country’s most powerful leader in decades, is preparing to break with convention and seek a third term at the ruling Communist Party’s 20th congress this fall.
While the politically sensitive timing could trigger a stronger response from Beijing, the Communist Party could also want to ensure stability and prevent things from getting out of control, experts say.
“Honestly, this isn’t a good time for Xi Jinping to provoke a military conflict right before the 20th Party congress. It’s in Xi Jinping’s interest to manage this rationally and not instigate a crisis on top of all the other crises he has…
