TAIPEI: Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi is expected to land in Taiwan on Tuesday night, despite China’s threats, a trip that would make her the highest-ranking American politician to visit the island in 25 years.
Pelosi is expected to arrive at 10:20 p.m. local time by private jet at Songshan airport, according to Liberty Times, one of several media outlets affiliated with Taiwan President Tsai Ing’s ruling party. -wen. During a regular briefing on Tuesday afternoon, Taiwan’s foreign ministry said it could not comment on speculation surrounding Pelosi’s trip.
Joanne Ou, a spokeswoman for the ministry, told reporters, “Taiwan always welcomes international visitors to Taiwan to better understand Taiwan and show their support for Taiwan.
China, which considers Taiwan part of its territory, has vowed an unspecified military response to any Pelosi visit that risks sparking a crisis among the major economies. best of the world. Chairperson Xi Jinping last week told the President Joe Biden he would “resolutely defend China’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity” and that “anyone who plays with fire will get burned”.
The US leader told Mr. Xi on a call last week that “Congress is an independent branch of government and Speaker Pelosi will decide for herself”.
On Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying countered that idea, saying that Congress is part of the US government and should adhere to its foreign policy.
“When the speaker of the House of Representatives, the third most senior figure in the US government, flew on a US military plane to make a provocative visit to the Taiwan area, it was certainly not informal behavior,” she told a news conference in Beijing, adding that any retaliatory measures from Beijing would be “justifiable” in response to such “immoral behaviour”.
China will contact its US ambassador “when appropriate”, she said.
While there is little indication that China is planning an all-out invasion of Taiwan, Beijing has responded to previous visits by foreign officials with a large number of sorties into the receiving zone. form of Taiwan’s air defense or across the median line dividing the strait. A large number of PLA fighter jets flew close to the demarcation line on Monday morning, Taiwan’s TVBS reported, adding that Taiwan’s military warships were also deployed in routine operations.
Taiwan’s defense ministry said in a statement on Tuesday that the island’s military was ready to send “appropriate armed forces depending on the threat.” “The military is determined, confident and capable of ensuring national security,” it added.
Caution washed over financial markets during the countdown to Pelosi’s visit. MSCI Inc.’s Asia-Pacific stock index. the biggest drop in three weeks, with some of the sharpest declines in Hong Kong, China and Taiwan. US and European stock futures were also in the red. Treasuries and yen rose on haven demand.
Pelosi on Tuesday held meetings in Malaysia, the second stop on her journey through Asia, which began the day before in Singapore. People familiar with the matter said she will visit Taiwan after Malaysia, before heading to South Korea and Japan, two staunch US allies.
The US politician will visit Taiwan’s parliament on Wednesday morning and have lunch with Tsai, according to Apple Daily.
Pelosi will become the highest-ranking American politician to visit Taiwan since House Speaker Newt Gingrich did so in 1997. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Monday that Pelosi’s stature as the number 3 official in the US makes her trip highly sensitive, reiterating the military “will not sit idly by.”
China’s response to Pelosi’s visit will be closely watched. A spokesman for the White House National Security Council, John Kirby, told MSNBC on Monday that Beijing should not view her trip as a provocation. He added that it was “puzzling that China could use this as some sort of pretext to actually increase tensions.”
Chinese media outlets including the Communist Party’s Global Times have suggested the People’s Liberation Army would react positively to Pelosi’s trip, possibly by sending fighter jets right to the island. this island.
Taiwan will then need to decide whether to shoot it down, a move that could trigger a broader military conflict. China will have to consider the possibility of the United States and its allies in the region being drawn militarily.
In May, Biden said that Washington would intervene to defend Taiwan against any attack from China, although the White House later clarified what he meant by the US providing weapons, in line with existing agreements.
Under the agreement reached in 1978 to normalize relations between China and the United States, Washington agreed to recognize only Beijing as the seat of the Chinese government, and to acknowledge – but not endorse – the position of the Chinese government. China of which only China and Taiwan are a part. Of China.
The United States has insisted that any reunification between the island and the mainland must happen peacefully, while providing Taiwan with state-of-the-art weapons while being deliberately vague about whether American forces help defend against a Chinese attack.
Visits by lower-ranking US lawmakers have also prompted China to respond militarily. Last November, Chinese warplanes flew around the east side of the island following a visit by a US congressional delegation.
The last major crisis in Taiwan occurred in 1995-96, when China sent missiles into the waters near the ports and then President Bill Clinton sent two aircraft carrier battle groups to the area. . Gingrich visited both Taiwan and China the year after that episode, telling Beijing that the US would defend the island.
Pelosi is expected to arrive at 10:20 p.m. local time by private jet at Songshan airport, according to Liberty Times, one of several media outlets affiliated with Taiwan President Tsai Ing’s ruling party. -wen. During a regular briefing on Tuesday afternoon, Taiwan’s foreign ministry said it could not comment on speculation surrounding Pelosi’s trip.
Joanne Ou, a spokeswoman for the ministry, told reporters, “Taiwan always welcomes international visitors to Taiwan to better understand Taiwan and show their support for Taiwan.
China, which considers Taiwan part of its territory, has vowed an unspecified military response to any Pelosi visit that risks sparking a crisis among the major economies. best of the world. Chairperson Xi Jinping last week told the President Joe Biden he would “resolutely defend China’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity” and that “anyone who plays with fire will get burned”.
The US leader told Mr. Xi on a call last week that “Congress is an independent branch of government and Speaker Pelosi will decide for herself”.
On Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying countered that idea, saying that Congress is part of the US government and should adhere to its foreign policy.
“When the speaker of the House of Representatives, the third most senior figure in the US government, flew on a US military plane to make a provocative visit to the Taiwan area, it was certainly not informal behavior,” she told a news conference in Beijing, adding that any retaliatory measures from Beijing would be “justifiable” in response to such “immoral behaviour”.
China will contact its US ambassador “when appropriate”, she said.
While there is little indication that China is planning an all-out invasion of Taiwan, Beijing has responded to previous visits by foreign officials with a large number of sorties into the receiving zone. form of Taiwan’s air defense or across the median line dividing the strait. A large number of PLA fighter jets flew close to the demarcation line on Monday morning, Taiwan’s TVBS reported, adding that Taiwan’s military warships were also deployed in routine operations.
Taiwan’s defense ministry said in a statement on Tuesday that the island’s military was ready to send “appropriate armed forces depending on the threat.” “The military is determined, confident and capable of ensuring national security,” it added.
Caution washed over financial markets during the countdown to Pelosi’s visit. MSCI Inc.’s Asia-Pacific stock index. the biggest drop in three weeks, with some of the sharpest declines in Hong Kong, China and Taiwan. US and European stock futures were also in the red. Treasuries and yen rose on haven demand.
Pelosi on Tuesday held meetings in Malaysia, the second stop on her journey through Asia, which began the day before in Singapore. People familiar with the matter said she will visit Taiwan after Malaysia, before heading to South Korea and Japan, two staunch US allies.
The US politician will visit Taiwan’s parliament on Wednesday morning and have lunch with Tsai, according to Apple Daily.
Pelosi will become the highest-ranking American politician to visit Taiwan since House Speaker Newt Gingrich did so in 1997. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Monday that Pelosi’s stature as the number 3 official in the US makes her trip highly sensitive, reiterating the military “will not sit idly by.”
China’s response to Pelosi’s visit will be closely watched. A spokesman for the White House National Security Council, John Kirby, told MSNBC on Monday that Beijing should not view her trip as a provocation. He added that it was “puzzling that China could use this as some sort of pretext to actually increase tensions.”
Chinese media outlets including the Communist Party’s Global Times have suggested the People’s Liberation Army would react positively to Pelosi’s trip, possibly by sending fighter jets right to the island. this island.
Taiwan will then need to decide whether to shoot it down, a move that could trigger a broader military conflict. China will have to consider the possibility of the United States and its allies in the region being drawn militarily.
In May, Biden said that Washington would intervene to defend Taiwan against any attack from China, although the White House later clarified what he meant by the US providing weapons, in line with existing agreements.
Under the agreement reached in 1978 to normalize relations between China and the United States, Washington agreed to recognize only Beijing as the seat of the Chinese government, and to acknowledge – but not endorse – the position of the Chinese government. China of which only China and Taiwan are a part. Of China.
The United States has insisted that any reunification between the island and the mainland must happen peacefully, while providing Taiwan with state-of-the-art weapons while being deliberately vague about whether American forces help defend against a Chinese attack.
Visits by lower-ranking US lawmakers have also prompted China to respond militarily. Last November, Chinese warplanes flew around the east side of the island following a visit by a US congressional delegation.
The last major crisis in Taiwan occurred in 1995-96, when China sent missiles into the waters near the ports and then President Bill Clinton sent two aircraft carrier battle groups to the area. . Gingrich visited both Taiwan and China the year after that episode, telling Beijing that the US would defend the island.
