Not knowing whether Pelosi would visit the island, she stopped first in Singapore, where Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong urged her in a meeting to fight for “stable” ties with Beijing.
Her itinerary also includes Malaysia, South Korea and Japan, but a possible visit to Taiwan has dominated the spotlight.
Reports of a planned visit to the island have angered Beijing and caused concern in the White House, with President Biden trying to cool the temperature between Washington and Beijing.
Beijing considers self-ruled Taiwan its territory — to be seized one day, by force if necessary — and says it would view a Pelosi visit as a major challenge.
Reuters news agency quoted Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian as saying on Monday that it would be “a wholesale interference in China’s internal affairs” if Pelosi stopped in Taiwan. He warned that it would lead to “very serious developments and consequences”. “We would like to tell the United States once again that China stands by, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army will never stand idly by, and China will take decisive responses and strong countermeasures to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Zhao said in a regular interview. Daily Briefing. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi shakes hands with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in Singapore on August 1, 2022. Mohd Fyrol, Official Photographer / (Singapore) Ministry of Communications and Information / Briefing via Reuters Pelosi’s office confirmed her trip to Asia in a statement on Sunday when her plane was airborne, following speculation by US media that the speaker had declined to confirm her itinerary. “The trip will focus on mutual security, economic partnership and democratic governance in the Indo-Pacific region,” her office said, referring to the Asia-Pacific. The statement did not mention Taiwan. But visits by American officials there are usually kept secret until delegations land. A spokesman for the White House National Security Council said Monday morning that Pelosi “has not confirmed her travel plans,” adding that the national security team has worked with Pelosi and her team and given her “thorough briefings.” Pelosi, the spokesman said, “will make her own decision because Congress is an independent branch of government.” Taiwan has been visited by the speaker of the House before — Newt Gingrich went to Taiwan in 1997. “There is no reason for Beijing to turn a potential visit that is consistent with longstanding U.S. policy into some kind of crisis or conflict,” said representative. The Global Times, China’s state-run tabloid, suggested Pelosi may use “emergency excuses such as plane error or refueling” to land at a Taiwanese airport. “If he dares to stop in Taiwan, it will be time to light the powder keg of the Taiwan Strait situation,” tweeted former Global Times editor-turned-commentator Hu Shijin. Taiwan’s 23 million people have long lived with the possibility of invasion, but the threat has intensified under Chinese President Xi Jinping. The United States maintains a policy of “strategic ambiguity” about whether it would intervene militarily in the event of an invasion by China. While Washington diplomatically recognizes Beijing for Taipei, it also supports Taiwan’s democratic government and opposes any forced change in the island’s status. US officials often make discreet visits to Taiwan to show support, but a Pelosi trip would be higher than any in recent history. Taiwan’s government has remained silent on the prospect of a Pelosi visit, and there has been little local press coverage. “I really hate what the Chinese are doing,” Hsu Ching-feng, a fruit seller in Taipei, told AFP. “But we common people can’t do anything about it but ignore them. I’ll just ignore them.” As speaker of the House, Pelosi is third in line for the US presidency and one of the country’s most powerful politicians. Mr. Biden and Mr. Xi had a tense phone call last week, clouded by disagreements over Taiwan. Xi issued an oblique warning to the United States not to “play with fire” over the island. Speculation about Pelosi’s plans for Taiwan has coincided with an uptick in military activity across the region. US officials have tried to play down the significance of a visit by Pelosi, urging Chinese leaders to calm down. Kharis Templeman, a Taiwan expert at the Hoover Institution, said Beijing “misread US policy and missed their signal” with its strong reaction. “They chose the wrong target. Biden does not control the President or any other member of Congress,” he tweeted on Sunday. “They have drawn the line at the Speaker of the House, on a visit rich in symbolism but of limited practical value. And now it will be politically costly for either Pelosi not to go or Xi not responding with something dramatic.” In Taiwan, there have been mixed views on the prospect of Pelosi’s visit, but figures from both the ruling party and the main opposition have said the island should not bow to Chinese pressure. “If Pelosi cancels or postpones the trip, it would be a victory for the Chinese government and Xi, as it would show that her pressure has achieved some desired results,” Hung Chin-fu, of Taiwan’s National Cheng Kung. University, he told AFP. Sara Cook contributed to this report.
