A missile launch was postponed by the United States because of China's increased sensitivities over Pelosi's visit to Taiwan

Nancy Pelosi's travel to Taiwan

An official from the United States has confirmed to the media that the United States has decided to delay a long-planned missile test due to concerns about China's reaction to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's travel to Taiwan earlier this week.

China’s military drills

As a direct response to Pelosi's visit, China has begun conducting military drills, which has led to the decision to delay the test flight of an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile.

The official stated that "Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has asked DOD to postpone the scheduled test flight as a prudent move." The official further stated that "the test flight will be postponed."

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People's Republic of China around Taiwan

The official stated that the decision was made because of "increasing military activities by the People's Republic of China around Taiwan." This led to the formation of the decision. The official stated, in reference to the postponement, that "this is the type of thing that responsible nations do." The examination was slated to take place from Wednesday night into Thursday morning. It is now going to take place at a time that is still to be defined in the future.

Taiwan would pay a price for hosting Pelosi 

China made good on its threat that Taiwan would pay a price for hosting Pelosi by launching numerous missiles toward waters around north-eastern and southwestern Taiwan on Thursday. This was in fulfillment of China's promise that Taiwan would pay a price for hosting Pelosi.

Minute Man III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile

This is not the first time in recent weeks that the United States has been compelled to put off a missile test as a direct result of international politics. In fact, it is the second time that this has happened. The Minute Man III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile test that was supposed to take place in Austin, Texas in March was canceled in order to avoid "any actions that could be misunderstood or misconstrued," as the then-Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby stated at the time. This decision was made during a time of heightened tensions with Russia.