Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan has prompted China to start military exercises in the Taiwan Strait, block Taiwanese imports and recall the US ambassador to China.

This week, the 82-year-old became the first female speaker of the House of Representatives to travel to the island since Newt Gingrich, 25 years ago,

reports .

As she met Taiwan President Tsai Ing-Wen in Taipei, the senior Democrat claimed the world "faces a choice between democracy and autocracy" and pledged continued US support for the Taiwanese in contrast to an increasingly hostile stance of Xi Jinping to the West.

But despite repeated promises to defend Taiwan if China invades it, even President Joe Biden criticized Pelosi's decision to go, reports the Telegraph.

An island of 23 million people 180 kilometers off the coast of China, Taiwan declares itself an independent, democratic country with its own leader, constitution, political system and military.

But with territorial claims to the island dating back to AD 229, the Communist Party in Beijing sees it as a breakaway province of China that will eventually be brought back under its control – by force if necessary.

This is known as the “one policy, one China” principle – a diplomatic recognition that Beijing is the only legitimate ruling power in China.

Technically, the US subscribes to a version of this – one policy, one China – and therefore does not recognize Taiwan as an independent state, in line with the United Nations.

But it still maintains informal ties and supports the island's commitment to democracy.

This is supported by the US Taiwan Relations Act of 1979, which was passed under Jimmy Carter and commits Washington to providing defensive weapons to leaders in Taipei.

Professor Michael Clarke, a defense analyst and former director general of think tank RUSI, tells Sky News that "China punishes any country or company that engages or even talks about Taiwan.

It's their most sensitive subject because the Chinese just go crazy about it, it's like a button you can push to make them angry."

He compares the island to Berlin during the Cold War – a "hot spot of tensions in a larger global competition" between the two sides.

Taiwan is also the world's largest producer of semiconductors.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) makes chips for Apple and many other technology companies across the West.

There would be serious consequences for global supply chains if China invades Taiwan, with TSMC chairman Mark Lieu saying plants would be rendered "incapacitated".

As a result, the US House of Representatives has passed an "Act" to further facilitate the production of semiconductors on American soil to mitigate the impact of a possible Chinese invasion.

What is the story behind the conflict?

With its proximity to the mainland, China's rule over Taiwan dates back more than 1,000 years.

The Qing dynasty ruled the island between 1683 and 1895, before a brief period of Japanese control as a result of the First Sino-Japanese War.

When Japan surrendered, ending World War II in 1945, China reclaimed the territory.

Four years later, the Chinese Civil War, which had raged intermittently since 1927, ended and Mao Zedong founded the Chinese Communist Party and the People's Republic of China.

This forced the defeated Nationalists – the Kuomintang – to flee to Taiwan.

It was they who laid the foundations for a self-determined, democratic Taiwan – separate from China.

Why are US-China tensions so high?

Since Xi Jinping became China's president in 2012, he has become increasingly determined to achieve so-called "global dominance" by a timeline of 2049 – 100 years after the Communist Party began to rule.

As a result, the US and other Western countries have responded by toughening their stances on China.

Examples of this include the AUKUS trade agreement between Australia, Britain and the US, and the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue between Japan, Australia, India and the US.

"The Biden administration is as hostile to China as the Trump administration was," says Professor Clarke.

"China has thrown its weight around in the region and beyond over the last decade, so the US has become much more skeptical about maintaining a mature relationship with them," he asserted.

How have Russia-Ukraine changed things?

According to Sky News' defense and security editor, Deborah Haynes, by invading Ukraine, Vladimir Putin "has torn up the rule book in terms of how countries behave".

As a result, security officials fear that Xi Jinping may respond more aggressively on Taiwan in this context, the Telegraph reports.

"Everyone looks at the invasion of Ukraine as a possible model for a Chinese invasion of Taiwan," adds Professor Clarke.

“It could create a favorable environment for Xi over the next year or so.

He might think 'well the Russians are doing it' and that the world is looking the other way towards that conflict and that might offer him a temptation.

But it may also give him pause as he sees how the world has responded to Russia with sanctions — and how difficult the invasion has been for Putin so far," he said.

He also warns that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan would have to be launched from the sea – which would be too complex – even for a major military power like Beijing.

Why did Pelosi go against Biden's recommendations?

When asked by reporters, Joe Biden said that "it's not a good idea right now to travel to Taiwan."

But as a foreign policy liberal and critic of China, Pelosi wanted to travel there to emphasize America's "determination to preserve democracy in Taiwan" and that it remains "ironclad."

Professor Clarke says that “Pelosi's argument is that the US has always supported Taiwan – since 1949. Congress – Democrats and Republicans – are strongly pro-Taiwan – and she's just representing it.

She knows it's a sensitive time, but she says that even as China bristles and hates military force, the U.S. needs to show it's not scared — because if you show you're scared, they'll use it. relentlessly.

The White House, on the other hand, should be a little more nuanced, because it is the executive".

Independent Taiwanese lawmaker Freddie Lim agreed, telling Sky News that it is "hard to appease China" anyway, so it has nothing to lose by strengthening diplomatic ties with its allies.

A delicate time for Xi and the Chinese economy

The timing of Pelosi's visit is also key.

In the second half of this year, China will hold its 20th Party Congress, which will see Xi Jinping run for an unprecedented third term as leader.

Therefore, a Western provocation on Taiwan a few weeks ago will be an "unwelcome" development as it tries to expand its control over China and the region.

"China is in a very delicate position at the moment," says Professor Clarke adding that "In terms of Xi's tenure in the party and the Chinese economy starting to suffer from the global slowdown, its zero-covid policy and its property market ".

"This is a short-term issue, but it all comes amid the long-term degeneration of Western relations with China," he concluded.