China had threatened to launch an unspecified but forceful response should Pelosi visit the island.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday, kicking off her highly anticipated visit to the island despite warnings from China that the trip could escalate tensions between Washington and Beijing.
“Our Congressional delegation’s visit to Taiwan honors America’s unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwan’s vibrant Democracy,” Pelosi (D-Calif.) said in a statement upon her arrival in Taiwan.
Pelosi, on a closely watched tour across Asia this week, has garnered much attention amid reporting that she would ignore warnings from China and become the highest-ranking elected U.S. official to visit Taiwan since then-Speaker Newt Gingrich visited in 1997. China, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory, had threatened to launch an unspecified but forceful response should Pelosi visit the island.
Pelosi’s arrival in Taipei on Tuesday evening confirmed the speaker’s decision to go ahead with her visit — which had been reported on for weeks without official confirmation from her office — despite China’s threats. The highly anticipated visit had also spurred weeks of wrangling between the United States and China over whether she should make the trip.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said earlier Tuesday that U.S. politicians are “playing with fire” on the issue of Taiwan.
“This will definitely not have a good outcome … the exposure of America’s bullying face again shows it as the world’s biggest saboteur of peace,” he said in a statement.
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Just hours before Pelosi arrived in Taiwan, Reuters reported that several Chinese warplanes were seen flying close to the median line dividing the Taiwan Strait, and the island’s presidential office website faced cyberattacks.
U.S. officials, however, have concluded that China’s threats against Pelosi — including a suggestion that her plane could be shot down — are nothing more than an intimidation tactic. And while the White House has publicly steered clear of taking a position on whether Pelosi should visit Taiwan, several Biden administration officials over the past few days have stressed that a potential visit from the speaker should not escalate tensions with China, warning the country against overreacting.
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Nancy Pelosi arrived in Taiwan today, kicking off her highly anticipated visit to the island despite warnings from China that the trip could escalate tensions between Washington and Beijing.https://t.co/ENGa2XodEz
— POLITICO (@politico) August 2, 2022
Back in the U.S., a large group of GOP senators released a statement backing Nancy Pelosi's trip to Taiwan.https://t.co/xAm3FP0S0n
— POLITICO (@politico) August 2, 2022
The website for Taiwan's presidential office — as well as those of other Taiwanese government agencies — was hit by a cyberattack hours ahead of Nancy Pelosi's visit.https://t.co/2vLfvIKJwB
— POLITICO (@politico) August 2, 2022
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