U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is currently in Taiwan. Her visit to the island nation has sent shockwaves through the Indo-Pacific, with a fuming China scrambling fighter jets and issuing stern warnings.
Our delegation’s visit to Taiwan honors America’s unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwan’s vibrant Democracy.
Our discussions with Taiwan leadership reaffirm our support for our partner & promote our shared interests, including advancing a free & open Indo-Pacific region.
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) August 2, 2022
Pelosi in Taiwan
Pelosi’s visit had been shrouded in questions. At some point, it looked like the speaker of the House wouldn’t visit Taipei to avoid a confrontation with China.
“Our Congressional delegation’s visit to Taiwan honors America’s unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwan’s vibrant Democracy,” Pelosi said in a press statement after her arrival in Taipei.
“Our discussions with Taiwan leadership will focus on reaffirming our support for our partner and on promoting our shared interests, including advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific region,” the speaker of the House added.
“America’s solidarity with the 23 million people of Taiwan is more important today than ever, as the world faces a choice between autocracy and democracy,” Pelosi said.
It is important to note that Pelosi’s and the congressional delegation’s visit to Taiwan is part of a broader trip to the Indo-Pacific, which will include stops to include Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, and Japan. The U.S. lawmakers’ trip throughout the Indo-Pacific area of operations will focus on mutual security, economic partnership, and democratic governance.
Pelosi is the most senior U.S. politician to visit Taiwan since 1997, when the then Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich had visited the small island nation. Pelosi is set to meet with Taiwanese President Tsai Yingwen on Wednesday morning before appearing in the Taiwanese parliament.
“Our visit is one of several Congressional delegations to Taiwan – and it in no way contradicts longstanding United States policy, guided by the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979, U.S.-China Joint Communiques and the Six Assurances,” Pelosi stated, adding that the U.S. opposes and will continue to oppose unilateral efforts to change the status quo.
The Chinese Response
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a stern condemnation of Pelosi’s visit.
“On 2 August, in disregard of China’s strong opposition and serious representations, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi visited China’s Taiwan region. This is a serious violation of the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-U.S. joint communiqués. It has a severe impact on the political foundation of China-U.S. relations, and seriously infringes upon China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the Chinese ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in a press release.
Taiwan was created shortly after the end of World War Two when the Chinese nationalists lost the civil war to the Chinese communists and fled to Taiwan. Since then, Beijing has been committed to absorbing Taiwan into China, whether by negotiations or by force. The Chinese Communist Party considers Taiwan a breakaway province and has vowed to reunify it with China.
PLA announced it would conduct live-fire exercises in 6 regions surrounding Taiwan island, a situation that surpassed 1996 Taiwan Strait crisis. This is not just a demonstration, but an actual exercise to liberate Taiwan. Pelosi’s visit is bound to speed up China’s unification.
— Hu Xijin 胡锡进 (@HuXijin_GT) August 2, 2022
The U.S. is supporting a peaceful reunification between Beijing and Taipei. However, that scenario is highly unlikely to take place as long as the Chinese Communist Party rules China.
1945’s New Defense and National Security Columnist, Stavros Atlamazoglou is a seasoned defense journalist specializing in special operations, a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ), and a Johns Hopkins University graduate. His work has been featured in Business Insider, Sandboxx, and SOFREP.
