No Mention of Taiwan Stop as Pelosi Embarks on Asia Tour
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House speaker Nancy Pelosi, en route to Asia, did not mention a possible stop in Taiwan in an announcement Sunday about her itinerary for the region.
Pelosi, who stopped first in Hawaii, is leading a congressional delegation to countries that are considered U.S. partners in the Indo-Pacific including Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and Malaysia, according to a statement released by her office Sunday.
The statement did not include Taiwan as part of the itinerary, though Pelosi has been teasing a Taiwan trip for months, first in April and then again in July. It’s unclear if the visit could still be added. After she scheduled an April visit, a Chinese government spokesman called it a “malicious provocation,” warning that China would respond “resolutely.” The plan was postponed after Pelosi came down with Covid-19.
Last week, however, it was reported that a new trip to Taiwan was rescheduled for August, according to the Financial Times. China’s Communist Party again threatened consequences and potential military action in the event that Pelosi didn’t cancel. Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said China would “take determined and forceful measures to firmly safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Despite mounting pressure from both Republicans and Democrats to lead an official U.S. visit in a show of solidarity for the democratic island, President Biden discouraged the trip recently, arguing that it is “not a good idea right now.”
Hu Xijin, the retired editor of the Chinese state newspaper Global Times, suggested Pelosi’s plane should be shot down if she attempts to go to Taiwan.
“If the U.S. can’t restrain her, let China restrain her & punish her,” he wrote on Twitter. “[The Chinese] Air Force will surely make her visit a disgrace to herself and to the U.S.”
When asked about Biden’s response to such a threat at a briefing Friday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre replied, “I’m not going to speak to a hypothetical.”
Pelosi’s congressional delegation, including Gregory Meeks, Mark Takano, Suzan DelBene, Raja Krishnamoorthi, and Andy Kim, will meet with officials from each Asian nation to “further advance our shared interests and values, including peace and security, economic growth and trade, the Covid-19 pandemic, the climate crisis, human rights and democratic governance.”
“Today, our Congressional delegation travels to the Indo-Pacific to reaffirm America’s strong and unshakeable commitment to our allies and friends in the region,” Pelosi wrote in the statement.
