Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi will visit four Asian nations beginning on Sunday, according to her office, despite widespread rumours that she might also travel to Taiwan, a self-governing island claimed by China.
According to a news release from her office, “Speaker Nancy Pelosi is leading a Congressional delegation to the Indo-Pacific region, involving trips to Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, and Japan.”
The press announcement stated that those nations would be visited, but it did not mention whether Pelosi, who is third in line to become president, may make more trips.
The Indo-Pacific region’s democratic government, economic cooperation, and mutual security will be the main topics of the tour, according to the statement.Among the delegation was Gregory Meeks, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
China sees US officials’ visits to Taiwan as a positive message to the island’s pro-independence movement.
Despite not having formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Washington is required by law to give the island the tools to defend itself.
Pelosi’s visit would be a striking, though not unique, demonstration of US backing for Taiwan. The last House speaker to travel to Taiwan was a Republican named Newt Gingrich in 1997.
Joe Biden, the US vice president, received a warning from President Xi Jinping on Thursday, telling him that Washington should uphold the one-China principle and that “those who play with fire will perish by it.”
