Despite confirming her travel to Asia, Nancy Pelosi neglects to mention Taiwan

Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the House, revealed on Sunday that she is leading a team to Asia, but she made no mention of a stop in Taiwan, a potential visit that has strained already difficult relations between Beijing and Washington and has provoked warnings from China.

In a statement, the California Democratic Party said that the speaker and a congressional delegation would travel to Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, and Japan. They would hold high-level meetings there 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," according to the statement.

The controversial potential stop in Taiwan was not mentioned in the statement.

China has threatened to reunite the nation, using force if necessary, and regards independent Taiwan as part of its territory.

During a 137-minute phone call with President Biden last week, China's Xi Jinping warned him against meddling in Taiwan's affairs in response to reports of Pelosi's trip.
At a newsstand in Beijing, a guy reads a newspaper headline with a magnifying glass to learn about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's trip to Asia.

A man uses a magnifying glass to read a newspaper headline reporting on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's Asia visit while at a newsstand in Beijing. — A man uses a magnifying glass to read a newspaper headline reporting on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s Asia visit while at a newsstand in Beijing. Andy Wong/AP

According to a readout of the call released by China's foreign ministry on Thursday, "the position of the Chinese government and people on the Taiwan question is consistent, and resolutely safeguarding China's national sovereignty and territorial integrity is the firm will of the more than 1.4 billion Chinese people."

"The general consensus cannot be disregarded. Whoever plays with fire will burn to death by it. It is hoped that the US will have no blind spots in this regard.

The People's Liberation Army, which has been invading Taiwan's airspace with fighter jets for months to scare the island, declared on Sunday that it would "safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity. "

Shen Jenke, a military spokesman, referred to Taiwan when he said that the air force has a variety of warplanes that can circle "the sacred island of our motherland."

On Saturday, a Chinese government propagandist took down a Tweet in which he threatened to shoot down Pelosi's plane if it was escorted to Taiwan by US military planes.

Hu Xijin, a columnist for the Global Times under the authority of the Chinese Communist Party, tweeted that if US fighter jets escort Pelosi's plane into Taiwan, it would be an invasion. The [People's Liberation Army] has the authority to shoot warning shots and manoeuvre strategically to obstruct US fighter jets as well as Pelosi's plane forcibly.
Hu further stated in the since-deleted posting, "If ineffectual, then shoot them down."

Pelosi would be the highest-ranking lawmaker to visit Taiwan since House Speaker Newt Gingrich went there in 1997, trailing only Vice President Kamala Harris in line for the presidency.

A security guard stands near a sculpture of the Chinese Communist Party flag — China President Xi Jinping gave President Biden a warning of the visit during a phone call.

Reps. Andy Kim of Pennsylvania, Mark Takano of California, Suzan DelBene of Washington, Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois, and Gregory Meeks of New York are with Pelosi.

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