House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) landed in Taiwan shortly before 11 p.m. local time Tuesday, making her the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit the island since former House Speaker Newt Gingrich made the trip in 1997.
Pelosi’s stop in the capital city of Taipei has prompted threats from China, which opposes the trip, claiming Taiwan is Chinese territory despite the island nation of 24 million declaring itself independent.
In a statement shortly after she stepped off the plane, Pelosi said: “Our Congressional delegation’s visit to Taiwan honors America’s unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwan’s vibrant Democracy.”
CHINESE WARPLANES HOVER ON BORDER OF TAIWAN STRAIT AHEAD OF PELOSI VISIT
Pelosi said the congressional discussions with Taiwan leadership will focus on “reaffirming our support for our partner and on promoting our shared interests, including advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific region. America’s solidarity with the 23 million people of Taiwan is more important today than ever, as the world faces a choice between autocracy and democracy.”
“Our visit is one of several Congressional delegations to Taiwan – and it in no way contradicts longstanding United States policy, guided by the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979, U.S.-China Joint Communiques and the Six Assurances. The United States continues to oppose unilateral efforts to change the status quo,” she added.
Pelosi’s late night touchdown in the capitol city was only previously speculated, as the stop was never added to her itinerary due to security concerns. Barricades were put up outside the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Taipei, where Pelosi is expected to stay Tuesday night, prior to her arrival.
Taiwan’s largest building, Taipei 101, appeared to have a welcome sign for Pelosi’s impending visit flashing the words: “Thank you,” “TW [heart] US,” “Speaker Pelosi,” and “Welcome to TW.”
Chinese officials had threatened retaliatory actions if Pelosi made a stop in the island nation. China seemingly followed through when local state media reported that Chinese fighter jets were crossing the Taiwan strait, a body of water separating China and Taiwan, ahead of Pelosi’s arrival.
“The U.S. and Taiwan have colluded to make provocations first, and China has only been compelled to act out of self-defense,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said Tuesday.
Pelosi defended her decision to visit Taiwan in an op-ed for the Washington Post published Tuesday, saying her visit in “no way contradicts the long-standing one-China policy” and that the U.S. “continues to oppose unilateral efforts to change the status quo.”
“In the face of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) accelerating aggression, our congressional delegation’s visit should be seen as an unequivocal statement that America stands with Taiwan, our democratic partner, as it defends itself and its freedom,” Pelosi wrote.
Taiwan’s tallest building and most iconic landmark, Taipei 101, lit up at 9pm tonight, welcoming @SpeakerPelosi’s visit to Taiwan. Words include “Speaker Pelosi”, “Welcome to TW”, “Thank you”, “TW ❤️ US” (1/2) pic.twitter.com/q0aFEjqGZl
— Tingting Liu 劉亭廷 (@tingtingliuTVBS) August 2, 2022
China flew warplanes over the Taiwan Strait earlier on Tuesday ahead of the House speaker’s visit and has used increasingly aggressive rhetoric in the days leading up to the trip as Pelosi’s itinerary was finalized.
“The U.S. … must not arrange for Pelosi to visit the Taiwan region,” Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Senior Col. Tan Kefei said last week. “Should the U.S. side insist on doing otherwise, the Chinese military will never sit idl[y] by and will certainly take strong and resolute measures to thwart any interference by external forces and secessionist attempts for ‘Taiwan independence’ and firmly defend China’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
The threats prompted John Kirby, the National Security Council’s coordinator of strategic communications, to detail possible retaliatory actions that China could take, including conducting a large-scale air entry into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone, or military exercises.
The Biden administration has repeatedly said it would not tell Pelosi not to go to Taiwan, but President Joe Biden indicated last month that the military was against it.
The stop in Taiwan was not included in Pelosi’s formal itinerary for her Asia trip, which includes stops in Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, and Japan. The House speaker is leading a congressional delegation to the region to focus on strengthening economic and security partnerships overseas, as well as the “democratic governance in the Indo-Pacific region,” according to a press release.
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Kirby reiterated that a Pelosi visit would not equate to a change in the United States’s long-standing “One China” policy. Under One China, the U.S. recognizes the People’s Republic of China as the sole legal government of China while not recognizing Taiwan as an independent nation.
