The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Democrat Nancy Pelosi, begins her visit to Taiwan on Tuesday, August 2, in a context of strong tensions with China, which has multiplied, in recent days, warnings to the against the senior official of the American administration.
Live television footage showed the 82-year-old lawmaker, who landed aboard a US military plane at Songshan Airport in Taipei, being greeted on arrival by Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu.
Beijing has denounced the "extremely dangerous" attitude of the United States, considering this visit as a serious provocation risking to inflame already tense Sino-American relations.
Nancy Pelosi for her part affirmed that her visit to Taiwan did not contradict American policy vis-à-vis China.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives said that the United States' commitment to a democratic Taiwan was more important than ever.
"Our congressional delegation's visit to Taiwan honors the United States' unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwan's vibrant democracy," she said in a statement shortly after landing.
"America's solidarity with the 23 million Taiwanese is more important now than ever, as the world faces a choice between autocracy and democracy," she added.
With AFP and Reuters
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