A little before Nancy Pelosi’s arrival in Taiwan, Chinese social networks were on fire: was the American House of Representatives going to be able to land? Or would the People’s Liberation Army warplanes stop him? Hu Xijin, former editor of the nationalist daily Global Times and still columnist for the newspaper, had warned: “Our fighter planes should deploy all possible obstructive tactics. If they’re ineffective, I think it’s OK to shoot down Pelosi’s plane.” When the elected Democrat finally landed in Taipei without incident, Tuesday evening around 11 p.m., some did not hide their disappointment. “It’s like watching a match of the national football team (notoriously bad): 90 minutes of waiting and by the slightest action!” Quipped a surfer.