Explained: Why Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan is under the radar

World

According to a senior Taiwanese government official and a US official, US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is expected to visit Taiwan, as a part of her Asia tour, amid all the warnings from the Biden administration officials, who are worried about China’s reaction to such a high profile visit.

As Taiwan has reportedly put its military on high alert and mobilized the air defence forces to immediately prepare for war with China amid the US senator’s reported visit.

According to the itinerary of Pelosi’s Asia trip as reported by US media, her trip includes Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, and Singapore, and the island of Taiwan was listed as “tentative.” Many believe this is a trick by Pelosi, who is likely to fly to Taiwan island from Japan and make a sudden visit.

Over the House Speaker’s potential visit, the Chinese Foreign Ministry and People’s Liberation Army (PLA), are urging to honor US President Joe Biden’s promise not to support “Taiwan independence,” while local media outlets in both the US and Taiwan reported that Pelosi is expected to visit the island shortly.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman has renewed a warning that the People’s Liberation Army “will not sit idly by” if Pelosi visits. He didn’t elaborate on what actions China might take. On Monday, China’s United Nations envoy Zhang Jun warned that the visit would undermine relations between Beijing and Washington, an official reported.

Considering that the relationship between US-China is at an all-time low, this step by the US senator might not go well with the Chinese Government, as they have been very vocal about their response to this visit if it happens in the first place. Hu Xijin, a commentator for the state-owned media outlet in China, said on Twitter that if Pelosi would enter Taiwan via air, China’s military might would shoot down the speaker’s plane.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian, also said at a routine Monday press conference, “If you play with fire, you will get burned. I believe the US is fully aware of the strong and clear message delivered by China.”

Taiwan is a self-ruled island but claimed by China, which sees it as a breakaway province, which is why it is necessary for China to maintain and safeguard its national sovereignty and territorial integrity from provocation. US president has ingeminated that he adheres to the one-china policy and does not support “Taiwan Independence.”

Speaking at the United Nations, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on China to be measured if Mrs. Pelosi does visit. “If the speaker does decide to visit, and China tries to create some kind of crisis or otherwise escalate tensions, that would be entirely on Beijing,” he told reporters after nuclear non-proliferation talks in New York.