House SpeakerNancy Pelosihas touched down in Taiwan,defying heated rhetoric from China, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has said it will use force if necessary to annex the island.
Pelosi, 82, is the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit the island — an international hotspot that’s a perennial concern for sensitive U.S.-China relations — in decades. Her predecessor, Newt Gingrich, made the trip in 1997.
In a statement issued shortly after she touched down in the region, Pelosi said the trip “honors America’s unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwan’s vibrant Democracy.”
“Our discussions with Taiwan leadership will focus on reaffirming our support for our partner and on promoting our shared interests, including advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific region,” she continued. “America’s solidarity with the 23 million people of Taiwan is more important today than ever, as the world faces a choice between autocracy and democracy.”
Pelosi was supposed to lead a congressional delegation to Taiwan in April but postponed aftertesting positive for COVID-19.
The trip comes in spite of warnings from Chinese officials, including Foreign Ministry spokespersonZhao Lijiang, who said last Wednesday: “We have repeatedly made clear our firm opposition to Speaker Pelosi’s potential visit to Taiwan. If the U.S. side insists on making the visit and challenges China’s red line, it will be met with resolute countermeasures. The U.S. must assume full responsibility for any serious consequence arising thereof.”
China’s Ministry of National Defense has echoed that rhetoric, also saying last week that Pelosi should cancel the trip or the country’s military will “resolutely defend national sovereignty.”
The Wall Street Journalreportsthat Chinese leader Xi Jinping warned PresidentJoe Bidenin a phone call last week of countermeasures if Pelosi’s trip were to proceed.
Nancy Pelosi.Chip Somodevilla/Getty
In her statement, Pelosi said the visit was part of a “broader trip to the Indo-Pacific — including Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan — focused on mutual security, economic partnership and democratic governance.”
Pentagon officials have reportedly briefed Pelosi about heightened tensions in the region, and Biden said last week that the military considers Pelosi’s trip “not a good idea right now.”
Asked about the president’s comment, Pelosi said, “I think what the President was saying is that maybe the military was afraid of my plane of getting shot down or something like that. I don’t know exactly.”
The Associated Press reported that the security required for a U.S. delegation in flight over Taiwan would require an increase in movement of military forces and assets in the region, including fighter jets, ships and other means of surveillance.
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Despite the security warnings, some Republicans have lauded Pelosi for making the trip.
Nebraska Republican Sen. Ben Sasse said prior to the trip, “Speaker Pelosi should go to Taiwan and President Biden should make it abundantly clear to [Chinese leader] Chairman [Xi Jinping] that there’s not a damn thing the Chinese Communist Party can do about it. No more feebleness and self-deterrence,“CNN reports.
In an interview onNewsmaxearlier this week, Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville echoed that praise, noting that he made the trip “5, 6 months ago,” despite similar warnings.
“Taiwan needs us to come. We need to show our support. China’s not stupid enough to do something crazy … We need to show strength,” Tuberville said, adding: “I hate to say this, Nancy Pelosi going over shows strength.”
source: people.com
