US Reportedly Delaying Minuteman III Missile Test Amid Taiwan Tensions

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The United States is delaying routine Minuteman III missile test launches to avoid further provoking tensions with China following US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s contentious trip to Taiwan, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

The US Air Force postponed the test launch to avoid any misunderstandings with China given recent tensions regarding Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, the report said.

The test, which takes place several times a year to assess the reliability of the US intercontinental ballistic missile systems, was initially planned to occur this week at the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the report added.

The report comes amid mainland China's large-scale military drills in six water zones and airspace off Taiwan against the backdrop of Pelosi's visit to the island. According to China Central Television (CCTV), the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army engaged more than 100 military aircraft to participate in the drills off the coast of Taiwan on Thursday. The drills will carry on until 12 p.m. (04:00 GMT) of Sunday.

The US House speaker arrived in Taiwan, which Beijing views as its inalienable part which, it hopes, will reunite with the mainland someday, on Tuesday as part of a congressional delegation's tour of the Asia-Pacific region. Pelosi ignored private warnings from the Joe Biden administration about the risk that her high-profile diplomatic visit could bring and drawing a sharp response from the Chinese government. Beijing stressed that Pelosi's trip was a violation of the One China policy, and pledged that "those who offend China will be punished."