Pelosi to Depart on Asia Trip as World Watches for Possibility of Taiwan Stopping Her

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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will depart for Asia on Friday. This is the beginning of a diplomatic trip that could upset the Chinese Communist Party.

Pelosi will visit many allied Asian countries as part of her multi-day European tour.

Taiwan, officially the Republic of China, is one possible destination that could have major implications. Although the island was expecting Pelosi to visit, recent threats by the People’s Republic of China have drawn international attention to the possibility of a visit.

Pelosi’s office declined to give any information regarding the trip. Pelosi will also hold her weekly Capitol Hill press conference Friday at 11:30 AM. ET.

Pelosi had planned to visit Taiwan in April. This would have made her the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit Taiwan since 1997. However, she was forced to cancel the trip when she tested positive for coronavirus.

Pelosi has not yet officially rescheduled her trip. However, rumors suggest that she intends to go after saying last week that it was “important for us” to show support for Taiwan.

In a telephone call, Xi Jinping, the Chinese President, warned President Biden that the U.S. should not “play with fire” on Taiwan.

“Those who play with fire are doomed.” “It is hoped that America will be clear-eyed regarding this,” a Chinese reading of the BidenXi call stated.

The People’s Republic of China claims sovereignty over Taiwan and Taiwan Strait. This is the narrow area of ocean that lies between Taiwan and China’s mainland. In the past, the Chinese military has often flown planes into this area to test Taiwan’s air defense system.

Although the United States has no official relations with Taiwan, it has increased engagement with Taiwan as China seeks its isolation from international institutions.

A spokesperson for Pelosi stated Wednesday morning that “we do not confirm or deny international travel prior to departure due to longstanding security protocols.”

According to Chinese officials, if Pelosi visits Taiwan, the military will increase its movements of troops and assets in the Indo-Pacific region.

According to the Associated Press, the Pentagon had plans for a Pelosi visit. It stated that fighter jets and ships, surveillance assets, and other military systems would likely be used in overlapping rings to protect her flight to Taiwan as well as any time she is on the ground.