Nancy Pelosi issued a statement about her periodic trip to a number of Asian countries in which there is no mention of the possible trip of this senior congressman to Taiwan.
Pelosi is leading a Congressional delegation to the Indo-Pacific region, including visits to Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan, according to the statement. The trip will focus on mutual security, economic partnership and democratic governance in the Indo-Pacific region.
“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,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi said. “In Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan, our delegation will hold high-level meetings to discuss how we can 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. Under the strong leadership of President Biden, America is firmly committed to smart, strategic engagement in the region, understanding that a free and flourishing Indo-Pacific is crucial to prosperity in our nation and around the globe.”
In Pelosi's statement and her explanations about the visit of the high-ranking delegation of the US Congress, there is no mention of her possible trip to Taiwan; A trip that has made a lot of tensions in recent days and has been followed by severe warnings from the Chinese authorities.
The statement of the Speaker of the US House of Representatives was issued only an hour after the beginning of the Chinese naval exercises in the South China Sea at the beginning of Nancy Pelosi's Asian tour.
China said it was conducting military exercises off its coast opposite Taiwan after warning Nancy Pelosi to scrap possible plans to visit the island democracy.
The ruling Communist party’s military wing, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), was conducting “live-fire exercises” near the Pingtan islands off Fujian province from 8 am to 9 pm on Saturday, the official Xinhua news agency said. The Maritime Safety Administration warned ships to avoid the area.
Such exercises usually involve artillery. The one-sentence announcement gave no indication whether the exercises also may include missiles, fighter planes or other weapons.
President Xi Jinping warned his US counterpart, Joe Biden, in a phone call on Thursday against “external interference” in Beijing’s dealings with the island.
China’s Ministry of Defence warned Washington this week not to allow Pelosi, who is Biden’s equal in rank as leader of one of three branches of government, to visit Taiwan. A spokesperson said the PLA would take unspecified “strong measures” to stop the pro-independence activity.
The PLA has flown growing numbers of fighter planes and bombers near Taiwan and has in the past fired missiles into shipping lanes to the island.
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