Pelosi begins a four-country visit to Asia, without mentioning Taiwan
Pelosi leads a congressional delegation to the Indo-Pacific.
AFP
US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office said she began a four-nation visit to Asia yesterday, without referring to Taiwan, amid intense speculation that she might visit the self-ruled island of which China says it belongs.
"House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is leading a congressional delegation to the Indo-Pacific region, including visits to Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan," Pelosi's office said in a statement.
The statement said that the visit would include those countries, but did not specify whether Pelosi, who is ranked third in the line of presidential positions, would visit other countries.
"The trip will focus on mutual security, economic partnership and democratic governance in the Indo-Pacific region," the statement said.
The Chairman of the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, Gregory Meeks, was among the delegation members.
China considers that the visits of US officials to Taiwan give an encouraging signal to the camp that supports the independence of the island.
Washington does not have formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, but is obligated by law to provide the island with the means to defend itself.
Pelosi's visit, though not unprecedented, is a very clear indication of US support for Taiwan.
Republican Newt Gingrich was the last House speaker to visit Taiwan in 1997.
Chinese President Xi Jinping warned his US counterpart, Joe Biden, on Thursday that Washington should adhere to the "one China" principle and that "those who play with fire will be burned with it."
Biden told the Chinese president that US policy on Taiwan has not changed, and that Washington firmly opposes unilateral efforts to change the status quo or undermine peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
On Friday, after the call between the Chinese and US presidents, Taiwan's foreign ministry said Taiwan would continue to deepen its close security partnership with the United States.
Pelosi's Asian tour comes at a politically sensitive time for Chinese and US leaders.
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