Nationalism rules China's internet during Taiwan tensions

Online nationalist sentiment in the wake of U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan last week urged Beijing to take more aggressive actions and pushed celebrities to publicly support China's position.

Why it matters: Nationalism thrives on China's highly censored internet, but it comes at a cost for Beijing. If Chinese leaders are perceived as responding too weakly to what people online might consider a foreign provocation, nationalist ire could turn against Beijing.

Driving the news: Beijing announced new drills this week after completing four days of live-fire exercises on Sunday.

The Chinese government sanctioned Pelosi and...