What the fallout from Pelosi’s visit means for Taiwan and China

Analysis: China's response gave little room for it or Taiwan to back down. Can the crisis be managed without further escalation?

Things changed this week for Taiwan. When news of a highly controversial visit by the US speaker Nancy Pelosi drew threats of reprisals from Beijing, most citizens shrugged. China's government frequently fulminates over foreign visits to Taiwan, which it claims is a Chinese province it will soon retake, and with which it tries to stop any international cooperation. Its regular promises of countermeasures rarely exceed some People's Liberation Army jets flying in and out of Taiwan's large air defence identification zone (ADIZ).

But analysts warned that this time looked different. Beijing's protests were louder, and more threatening, and gave little room for either them or the US to retreat without losing credibility. This time, it would have to follow through with something bigger, they said.