Cuban Missile Crisis refers to the confrontation between US & USSR over the presence of Soviet nuclear-armed missiles in Cuba in October 1962. The confrontation is considered the closest the Cold War came to escalating into a full-scale nuclear conflict
US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. AP
New Delhi: Chinese state media on Tuesday dubbed US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s upcoming Taiwan visit as the “Taiwan Straits version of the Cuban Missile crisis.”
Retweeting a video of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the Chinese state-run paper Global Times called Washington “the provocateur.”
It added, “the world is watching whether Pelosi will pull the trigger with her own hands. If US-China conflict explodes because of this, Mr Blinken, don’t you know who is to blame?”
In the video, Blinken said that the onus will be entirely on Beijing if it tries to “create some kind of crisis during Pelosi’s visit.”
Notably, Pelosi’s visit to the island has not been confirmed yet.
Cuban Missile Crisis triggered fears of nuclear war in 1962
The Cuban missile crisis refers to the confrontation between the US and the USSR over the presence of Soviet nuclear-armed missiles in Cuba in October 1962. The confrontation is considered the closest the Cold War came to escalating into a full-scale nuclear conflict.
The crisis lasted for less than two weeks and ended after the USSR removed nuclear missiles from Cuba. The US, in return, US vowed not to invade Soviet ally Cuba.
Tensions escalate over Pelosi’s Taiwan visit
The White House on Monday warned China against overreacting to a trip by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan, saying she would have every right to visit the self-ruled island despite Beijing viewing it as a highly provocative challenge.
China need not turn any visit by Pelosi into a “crisis,” White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters, even as he warned that Beijing may be “positioning” itself for a show of military strength around the island.
Media reports have said that Pelosi, currently on an official Asia tour, will stop off in Taiwan and meet President Tsai Ing-wen on Wednesday — if so, the highest-level US visit to Taipei in decades.
Beijing, which views Taiwan as its territory, has reacted furiously to the idea, warning President Joe Biden that his administration was playing “with fire” and announcing a series of live-fire military drills in the Taiwan Straits.
With inputs from agencies
Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.