Nancy Pelosi began a closely watched Asia tour in Singapore on Monday, amid warnings that Beijing's military would not "sit idly by" if she visited Taiwan.
According to Pelosi's office, she will lead a congressional delegation to the region that will visit Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, and Japan. Taipei was not mentioned.
According to Zhao Lijian, a visit by Pelosi to Taiwan would lead to "very serious developments and consequences."
As an independent country, Taiwan has its own military, government, and constitution, while China claims the island as its own. China has never renounced its use of force to control Taiwan. A referendum on Taiwan's future has been rejected by the China due to its sovereignty claims.
U.S. law requires Washington to provide Taiwan with defense means, even though there are no formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan. In the midst of worsening ties between Washington and Beijing, Pelosi, who is third in line for the presidency, might visit. House speaker Newt Gingrich last visited Taiwan in 1997.
Beijing's leader Xi Jinping warned his President Joe Biden last Thursday that those who play with fire will suffer the consequences. Washington opposes unilateral attempts to undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and Biden told Xi that U.S. policy on Taiwan had not changed.
According to Taiwan local media, Taiwan Premier Su Tseng-chang did not respond directly on Monday when asked whether Pelosi will visit on Thursday. "We always welcome visitors from distinguished foreign countries," he told reporters in Taiwan.
1st August 2022
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