Taiwan

China has fired several waves of missiles, hitting targets in the waters that encircle the island of Taiwan, after a visit from Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi triggered a tense military standoff.

Pelosi's trip has heightened U.S.-China tensions more than visits by other members of Congress because of her high-level position as leader of the House of Representatives.

Both the U.S. and China stepped up military activity in the region ahead of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's Taiwan visit. Here's what is different now from crises in the Taiwan Strait decades ago.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is making an unannounced, but widely anticipated, stop in Taiwan. The move is expected to increase already heightened tensions between the U.S. and China.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived in Singapore early Monday, kicking off her Asian tour as questions swirled over a possible stop in Taiwan that has fueled tension with Beijing.

The speaker of the House will stop in four Asian countries this week, but made no mention of a possible stop in Taiwan. Rumors she might visit the island democracy has fueled tension with China.

China said it was conducting military exercises off its coast after warning U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to scrap possible plans to visit Taiwan, which Beijing claims as part of its territory.

President Xi Jinping warned against meddling in China's dealings with Taiwan during a phone call with his U.S. counterpart, Joe Biden, that gave no indication of progress on diplomatic relations.

The divisions over Taiwan come amid several challenges between the two superpowers: the Russian invasion of Ukraine, U.S. tariffs and Chinese aggression in the Pacific.

A White House official said Biden's comments did not reflect a policy shift, even though the U.S. traditionally has avoided making such an explicit security guarantee to Taiwan.