Pelosi's Asia trip makes no mention of Taiwan

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
31 Jul 2022 11:31

US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi's congressional delegation to the Asia-Pacific region stops are confirmed and they do not include Taiwan.

Pelosi's Asia trip does not have a Taiwan stop

Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, and Japan, are the confirmed stops for US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi's congressional delegation to the Asia-Pacific region, according to a statement issued on Sunday by her office.

The statement made no mention of a possible delegation visit to Taiwan, a topic of great significance in US-Sino relations given the increased tension during the run-up to the trip.

"The trip will focus on mutual security, economic partnership, and democratic governance in the Indo-Pacific region," Pelosi's office said in the statement.

The six-person all-Democratic delegation is comprised of House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Gregory Meeks, members of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and the House Armed Services Committee.

"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," Pelosi said, as cited by the statement.

Singapore's foreign ministry revealed that Pelosi's trip to the country would take place on August 1-2, with talks being arranged with President Halimah Yacob and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

Tensions over the Taiwan trip

Chinese National Defense Ministry spokesperson Tan Kefei warned on July 26 that the Chinese military would not sit back if Speaker Pelosi visits Taiwan. His statement was made in response to a press inquiry regarding the issue.

China demands that the United States keep its promise that it would not support "Taiwan independence," Tan said, adding that if Washington insists on making the visit, the Chinese military will take strong actions to counter any external interference or "Taiwan independence" separatist scheme, and will be determined in safeguarding China's national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

On July 27, US officials said they had little concern that China would target Nancy Pelosi's plane if she flew to Taiwan. However, the US House Speaker would be entering an area where US-China tensions are on the rise. As a result, the Pentagon is preparing for every situation.

China began military exercises in the South China Sea, as per a statement published on the website of China's Maritime Safety Administration on Friday.

The drills will take place in four regions of the South China Sea, including the waters of Guangdong and Hainan provinces, according to the agency's brief statement.

Following Beijing's announcement of live-fire military drills in the Taiwan Strait, President Joe Biden's administration tried on July 29, to defuse heated Chinese warnings against a possible trip to Taiwan by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

On the same day, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Moscow hopes for no provocations against Beijing on the Taiwan issue, urging the US to remain committed to the One China policy.