Taiwan and US officials expected Pelosi to visit Taiwan

CNN
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Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi He is expected to visit Taiwan As part of her tour of Asia, According to a senior Taiwanese government official and a US official though Warnings of Biden administration officials, who are concerned 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 US-China relations Already at a low point.

The Taiwanese official added that she is expected to stay in Taiwan all night. It is unclear when exactly Pelosi will land in Taipei.

The US official added that Defense Department officials are working around the clock to monitor any Chinese movements in the region insurance plan to maintain its integrity.

Pelosi arrived in Singapore on Monday for the first official leg of her Asia tour, where she met the country’s president, prime minister and other senior officials.

On Tuesday, Malaysian state media Bernama confirmed that Pelosi and a congressional delegation have arrived in the country and are scheduled to meet with the prime minister and parliament speaker.

The delegation’s itinerary includes stops in South Korea and Japan, but there is no official mention of a visit to Taiwan.

During a regular Foreign Ministry briefing on Monday, China warned of the “terrible political impact” of Pelosi’s planned visit to the self-ruled island that China claims as part of its territory, and stressed that its military “will not stand idly by” if Beijing feels that its “sovereignty and territorial integrity are “threatened.

“We would like to say to the United States once again that China stands idly by, and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army will not stand idly by. Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters, when asked about the fallout from Pelosi leading a congressional delegation to Taipei, “China will take responses firm and strong countermeasures to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

As for the procedures, if you dare to go, let’s wait and see,” Zhao added.

Although the Chinese military made no mention of Taiwan, the Eastern Theater Command of the People’s Liberation Army said it would “bury the coming enemies” in a video posted online on Monday showing its weapons and combat tactics. Stand firm and ready to lead the fight; a message posted on Weibo said: “Bury all incoming enemies.

Secretary of State Anthony Blinken reiterated the administration’s position that it is Pelosi who decides whether to visit, adding, “We don’t know what Speaker Pelosi intends to do.”

“Congress is an independent and equal branch of government,” Blinken said at the United Nations on Monday afternoon. “The decision is wholly speaking.”

Such a visit is a precedent, Blinken said, noting that previous speakers and members of Congress had visited Taiwan.

“So if the spokesperson decides to visit and China tries to create some kind of crisis or escalate tensions, it’s all on Beijing,” Blinken said. “We are looking for them, should you decide to visit, to act responsibly and not get involved in any escalation in the future.”

Earlier on Monday, National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby said the Biden administration would support Pelosi on a trip to Taiwan.

“We want to make sure that when she travels abroad, she can do so safely and we’ll make sure. There’s no reason for Chinese rhetoric. There’s no reason to take any action. It’s not uncommon,” Kirby told CNN reporter Brianna Keeler on “New Day.” Congressional leaders travel to Taiwan.

“We shouldn’t be as a country – we shouldn’t be intimidated by this rhetoric or those potential actions. This is an important journey for the speaker and we will do everything we can to support her,” Kirby continued.

Asked if the United States was prepared for repercussions with China over the visit, Kirby said that “there is no change in our policy. No change in our focus on trying to keep the Indo-Pacific region free, secure and open.”

The Taiwan issue remains one of the most controversial. President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping Discuss it at length In a phone call that lasted two hours and 17 minutes on Thursday, as tensions escalated between Washington and Beijing.

“The question of Taiwan is the most sensitive and important core issue in Sino-US relations,” Chinese Ambassador to the United States Qin Gang said at the Aspen Security Forum in July.

While Biden has said publicly that the US military does not believe the time is right for Pelosi to visit Taiwan, he has not directly told her not to go, according to two sources.

Administration officials have worked in recent weeks to inform the House speaker of the dangers of visiting the Democratic autonomous island of 24 million, including at briefings from the Pentagon and other administration officials. But Biden didn’t think it was his place to tell her she shouldn’t go, and has avoided publicly commenting on her trip since his initial July 21 statement.

Biden said last month that the US military was opposed to Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, though he has since refused to release the warnings. The White House said it’s up to the Speaker of the House where you’re traveling.

However, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin recently said he had discussed a visit to Asia with Pelosi.

The administration takes extra care of Pelosi’s security when she travels abroad because she is in the presidential line of succession.

Administration officials are concerned that Pelosi’s trip comes at a particularly tense moment, as Xi is expected to seek an unprecedented third term at the upcoming Chinese Communist Party Congress. Chinese party officials are expected to begin laying the groundwork for that congress in the coming weeks, putting pressure on the leadership in Beijing to show strength.

Officials also believe that the Chinese leadership is not fully aware of the political dynamics in the United States, leading to misunderstandings about the significance of Pelosi’s possible visit. Officials say China may be confusing Pelosi’s visit with an official visit by the administration, as she and Biden are Democrats. Administration officials worry that China is not separating Pelosi and Biden much, if at all.

Pelosi has long been a critic of the Chinese Communist Party. She met pro-democracy opponents and the Dalai Lama – the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader who remains a thorn in the side of the Chinese government. In 1991, Pelosi raised a black-and-white banner in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square commemorating the victims of the 1989 massacre, which read: “For those who died for democracy.” In recent years, she has expressed support for the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.

The Chinese Embassy to the United States has objected to its expected trip, which was scheduled for April before Pelosi’s test results came out. COVID-19He urged members of Congress to tell the spokesman not to.

“I would say there’s a full court press from the Chinese embassy to discourage a trip to Taiwan,” Washington Democratic Representative Rick Larsen, co-chair of the US-China Congressional Working Group, told CNN. “I just don’t think they would tell us what to do. That was my message again.”

Liu Bingyu, a spokesman for the Chinese embassy in the United States, responded that his office was in “regular contact” with members of Congress, including Larsen.

“On the Taiwan issue, we have taken our position loud and clear,” Pingyu said. “The embassy is making every effort to prevent peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and the damage to China-US relations by the possible visit of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan.”

“We hope that the dire consequences can be avoided,” he added. “This is in the common interests of both China and the United States.”

Several Democrats and Republicans in Congress have said Pelosi has the right to travel to Taiwan.

“It’s House Speaker Pelosi’s decision alone about whether to travel to Taiwan or not to travel to any other country,” said Illinois Republican Representative Darren LaHood, Larsen’s Republican counterpart in the U.S.-China working group. “In our democracy – we operate with separate but equal branches of government.”

“It is inappropriate for foreign governments, including the Chinese government, to attempt to influence the ability or right to travel for a speaker, members of Congress, or other U.S. government officials to Taiwan or anywhere else around the world,” he added.

Other members seemed more cautious about the delicate diplomatic journey.

California Democratic Representative Judy Chu, the first Chinese-American woman elected to Congress, said she “always supported Taiwan.”

But when asked if the Taiwan trip now would send the wrong message, Chu said, “You can look at it two ways. The first is that relations are very tense at the moment. But on the other hand, you can say maybe this is when Taiwan also needs To show strength and support.

When asked her opinion, she said, “I leave it to those who will make that decision.”

This story was updated with additional details on Monday.