The pointed message came amid reports that the US House speaker, who began her tour of Asia at the weekend, may arrive in Taipei on Tuesday and as China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) marked the 95th anniversary of the its establishment. China’s spokesman Zhao Lijian said that because of Pelosi’s status as the “No. 3 official of the US government,” a visit to Taiwan, which China claims as its own province, would “lead to a terrifying political impact.” . Pelosi’s possible Taiwan leg of the tour is not yet on her public schedule. If she goes ahead with the visit, it will be the first for a speaker of the US House in 25 years. In 1997, when then-Speaker Newt Gingrich visited, Beijing protested the trip but eventually swallowed its irritation. Officially, Pelosi will only visit Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan on this trip. But Michael McCaul, R-Texas and the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Democrat Anna Esu told US media last week that Pelosi had invited them to Taiwan. Both were rejected due to scheduling conflicts. Pelosi’s trip comes at a time of extreme geopolitical uncertainty in the region. On Monday, she and a six-member congressional delegation held talks with Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. The Singaporean leader “underscored the importance of stable US-China relations for regional peace and security,” according to an official statement from Lee’s office. Ahead of the PLA’s founding anniversary on Monday, China’s military conducted “live-fire drills” near the Pingtan Islands off Fujian province, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Saturday. The Maritime Safety Administration warned ships to avoid the area. Since reports of Pelosi’s possible trip to Taiwan emerged a fortnight ago, Beijing’s state media has stepped up its criticism of US Taiwan policy. In recent days, Chinese diplomats have also reiterated China’s stance, reiterating Beijing’s “one China principle” on social media. In Taiwan, speculation about Pelosi’s possible visit was rife, with some sources saying she would land in Taipei on Tuesday and stay overnight. Taiwan’s government has not publicly commented on the reports. Subscribe to First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7am. BST George Yin, a distinguished fellow at the Center for China Studies at the National Taiwan University in Taipei, said the US faced a strategic dilemma in stabilizing the Taiwan Strait. “On the one hand, the US needs to signal its support for Taiwan, particularly because China often portrays the US as a paper tiger that lacks the determination to help Taiwan,” Yin said. “On the other hand, the US needs to reassure China that it still adheres to the one-China principle. Pelosi’s expected visit shows how difficult it is to strike a good strategic balance.”