US' Pelosi to travel to Asia on Friday, no decision on Taiwan yet
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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is due to depart for an Asia-Pacific trip on Friday with no clear decision made regarding her possible visit to Taiwan.
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US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
An official delegation headed by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will travel to Asia on Friday, but a decision on a visit to Taiwan has not been made yet, NBC reported, citing sources.
According to one source acquainted with the trip, a visit to Taiwan is marked as "tentative," the broadcaster reported, adding that the tour will also include visits to Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, and Singapore.
US military making plans in case Pelosi travels to Taiwan
Officials in the United States said they have little concern that China will target Nancy Pelosi's plane if she flies 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.
Officials told AP that if Pelosi visits Taiwan, which remains a possibility, the military will expand its movement of forces and assets in the Indo-Pacific region.
They declined to elaborate but claimed that fighter jets, ships, surveillance assets, and other military systems would most likely be employed to create overlapping bands of protection for her travel to Taiwan and any time she spent on the land there.
Chinese military will not sit back
China's Ministry of National Defense, Tan Kefei, warned on July 26, that the Chinese military will not sit back if US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy 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.
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