Nancy Pelosi free to visit Taiwan: says US
2 August, 2022 | Pravina Srivastava
John Kirby, coordinator of US National Security Council, stated on Monday that although US Speaker Nancy Pelosi has not officially announced her travel intentions to Taiwan, she is entitled to do s...
John Kirby, coordinator of US National Security Council, stated on Monday that although US Speaker Nancy Pelosi has not officially announced her travel intentions to Taiwan, she is entitled to do so and that her journey is not out of ordinary.
Kirby said, “Speaker has not confirmed any trip arrangements and it is for Speaker to do so, along with her staff. If she goes, it’s not without precedent, it’s not new.”
He further added “Speaker is entitled to go to Taiwan. We won’t be making any remarks or guesses about the places she will be visiting.”
US House Speaker is reportedly planning to visit Taiwan on August 2 and have a meeting with President Tsai Ing-wen.
According to prior media reports citing a senior Taiwanese government official and a US official, Pelosi will go to Taiwan and hold discussions with government representatives on the autonomous island that China has threatened to annex.
She is anticipated to spend the night in Taiwan, the Taiwanese official noted. When exactly Pelosi will arrive in Taipei is unknown.
Beijing has warned against Nancy’s trip to Taiwan since news of the US House Speaker’s travel broke last month, stating that it will respond firmly and take countermeasures if the US side insists on going forward with the visit.
Pelosi’s journey to Taiwan, according to Chinese officials, would be against the One China Policy and would amount to supporting an unlawful uprising. According to a state-run Chinese media site, Pelosi must never cross the “red line” by traveling to Taiwan.
According to Kirby, Pelosi’s travel to Taiwan will be supported by the Biden administration.