Pelosi is expected to visit Taiwan as part of her ongoing tour of Asia, according to a senior Taiwanese government official and a US official. And that’s despite warnings from Biden administration officials, who are worried about China’s response to such a high-profile visit. The stop — the first for a US House speaker in 25 years — is not currently on Pelosi’s public itinerary and comes at a time when US-China relations are already at a low point. Chinese government officials have stepped up their rhetoric ahead of Pelosi’s upcoming trip. During a routine foreign ministry briefing on Monday, China warned of the “extreme political impact” of Pelosi’s planned visit to the self-governing island that China claims as part of its territory. Chinese officials reiterated that the nation “will not stand idly by” if Beijing feels its “sovereignty and territorial integrity” are under threat. And although China’s military did not mention Taiwan, the People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command recently released a video saying it would “bury incoming enemies,” showing off its weapons and battle tactics. While President Joe Biden had said publicly before the Asia trip that the US military did not think it was a good time for Pelosi to visit Taiwan, he did not directly tell her not to go, according to two sources. And Biden discussed the trip with Chinese President Xi Jinping in a phone call last week. Kirby told CNN’s MJ Lee during Monday’s White House briefing that Biden emphasized to Xi that Pelosi, as a member of Congress, makes her own decisions about international travel. Biden administration officials have repeatedly argued this week that China should not view Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan as a potential shift in US policy. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken reiterated the administration’s line that Pelosi’s decision on whether to visit Taiwan. “Congress is an independent, co-equal branch of government,” Blinken said in remarks at the United Nations on Monday. “The decision is solely the speaker’s.” Blinken said such a visit has precedent among previous members of Congress who have visited Taiwan, saying, “If the speaker decides to visit and China tries to create some kind of crisis or otherwise escalate tensions, that would be exclusively in Beijing”. “We are looking for them, should he decide to visit, to act responsibly and not engage in any escalation in the future,” he continued. Kirby also reiterated on several occasions on Monday that “nothing has changed” regarding the US’s “One China Policy”, recognizing Taiwan as part of China. “We will not take the bait or engage in rattlers,” Kirby pledged, while maintaining that the US “will not be intimidated” and will continue to be active in the Indo-Pacific while seeking to maintain lines of communication with Beijing. He said the administration expected “to see Beijing continue to use inflammatory rhetoric and disinformation in the coming days,” but that the U.S. remained focused on “trying to manage tensions, and frankly, manage one of the most consequential bilateral relationships in the world.” people .” CNN’s Eric Cheung, Kylie Atwood, Alex Rogers, Kevin Liptak and Jennifer Hansler contributed to this report.
