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Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, which has become a flashpoint in the escalating conflict between the United States and China on her Asian tour, began on Tuesday when she arrived in Taipei, the capital city.
Pelosi and other members of Congress were greeted by Taiwanese officials on the tarmac when a U.S. military plane landed in Taipei on Tuesday evening. FlightAware tracked the plane’s flight path from Kuala Lumpur, avoiding the South China Sea and China’s mainland.
As a result of the cloud of secrecy surrounding Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, China has threatened to respond militarily. The White House has reiterated that U.S. policy toward Taiwan and the Chinese government has not changed, despite Pelosi’s intention to visit the island.
Pelosi is the highest-ranking American official to visit the island in the last quarter-century. When she defied Chinese authorities in Tiananmen Square in 1991 by displaying a pro-democracy flag, the California Democrat began her career of pushing back against Beijing.
Nancy Pelosi stated her trip to Taiwan was to celebrate “America’s steadfast commitment to supporting Taiwan’s thriving Democracy” shortly after her plane touched down.
“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 said. “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.”
This trip “in no way contradicts longstanding United States policy” toward Taiwan and China, the speaker underscored. The United States “continues to reject unilateral actions to change the status quo,” the speaker added.
China’s “abysmal human rights record and contempt for the rule of law continue, as President Xi Jinping tightens his hold on power,” Pelosi wrote in an op-ed for the Washington Post to defend her decision to travel to the country.
An official from the Taiwanese government said that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was anticipated to meet with President Tsai Ing-wen and members of the legislature in Taipei. Prior to departing, the American group is scheduled to spend Tuesday night in the nation’s capital and Wednesday morning in meetings.
The island’s renowned tallest landmark, Taipei 101, lit up with welcome messages for Pelosi before she arrived Tuesday evening.
Beijing regards Taiwan, which is self-ruled, as part of China and has warned that Pelosi’s visit would be seen as a serious provocation by Chinese officials.
According to China’s Ministry of Defense, “long-range live ammunition firing in the Taiwan Strait and staging regular-guided fire testing in the eastern waters of Taipei Island” will soon be conducted by the People’s Liberation Army. It was described as a “solemn deterrent” against the “recent massive escalation of the unfavorable activities of the United States on the Taiwan problem, and a stern warning” to the “Taiwan independence” forces pursuing “independence.”
Last week, Chinese President Xi Jinping insisted that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi cancel her travel to TAIWAN during a two-hour phone chat with Vice President Joe Biden. Earlier in the month of July, Vice President Biden stated that US military experts believed Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan at the time was “not a good idea.”
The USS Ronald Reagan, a destroyer, and an amphibious assault ship were all in the waters east of Taiwan on Tuesday conducting routine operations, according to a US Navy officer.
If Pelosi were to visit China, the military would “not sit idly by,” according to a Reuters report by foreign ministry spokeswoman Zhao Lijian. The “No. 3 official of the U.S. government” visiting would “lead to egregious political impact,” Lijan said during a daily briefing.
He said she had been briefed on Taiwan by a National Security Council spokeswoman on Monday, when Pelosi was reported to be flying in a US military plane.
The speaker and her team had “direct talks” before she departed with various levels of the national security establishment, Kirby said, though he did not confirm any plans by her to travel in Taiwan. “The president did not talk to the speaker directly about this trip.” ‘
It was Kirby’s response when asked if the military still thought it was a bad idea for her to go. As Kirby put it: “What we did was give [her] context, analysis, facts, knowledge, so that she could make the best decision possible for every stop for every overseas visit.”
Kirby, on the other hand, warned of China’s “saber rattling,” which might include shooting missiles into the Taiwan Strait or encroaching on Taiwan’s airspace in significant numbers. China’s recent declaration that Taiwan’s Strait is not an international waterway was also mentioned.
According to Kirby, “As we’ve seen in recent years, some of these moves would continue to follow trend lines, but some could be of a different scope and size.” After Beijing reacted provocatively to Taiwan’s president’s visit to deliver an address at his alma mater in 1995 and 1996, Beijing fired missiles into the Taiwan Strait.”
In 1949, Chinese nationalists fled to Taiwan as the Chinese Communist Party waged a civil war with the Chinese Nationalist Party. TAIWAN IS THE GOVERNMENT OF CHINA, says Taiwan’s government. In Beijing’s eyes, the island constitutes a rogue state that belongs to it.
Following a strategy of “strategic ambiguity,” the United States acknowledged Beijing as the legitimate Chinese government in 1979 and did not promote Taiwanese independence but maintained informal relations with the government. The Taiwan Travel Act of 2018 made the United States-Taiwan relationship official, but not diplomatic.
It’s not the first time a House Speaker has made a trip to Taiwan. In 1997, Republican Newt Gingrich, then-Speaker of the House, paid a visit. Pelosi’s journey to Taiwan has received significantly more attention than those of other American officials who have made low-profile visits to show support for the island.
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