China used Pelosi visit to step up military pressure on Taiwan: Pentagon

WASHINGTON — China capitalized on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's controversial visit to Taiwan in August, using it as an excuse to intensify military pressure on the self-governing island and advancing its goal of becoming a "world-class" force by 2027, a senior US defense official said Tuesday. In the days and weeks following Pelosi's Aug. 2 visit, China retaliated by blasting missiles over Taiwan and conducting intense military exercises in the waters surrounding the island. Since then, Beijing's military activity in the region has quieted, but is still at a higher level than before the California Democrat's visit, the official said….