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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and a group of Democratic congresspeople arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday. This was the second day of a trip that was criticized and threatened by China and could make things even worse between Washington and Beijing.
At 10:45 p.m. local time, when Pelosi (D-Calif.) arrived in Taipei, she was the highest-ranking US elected official to visit the island nation since then-House Speaker Newt Gingrich in 1997.
Pelosi was seen leaving the plane, which was called SPAR19, wearing a pink suit and a black face mask.
Shortly after that, it looked like she, the delegation, and some officials took a picture on the tarmac.
Just before the speaker landed on the island country, a welcome message was shown on the Taipei 101 skyscraper.
“Speaker Pelosi…Welcome to TW [Taiwan]…TW [heart emoji] US,” the message read.
There had been rumors for weeks that Pelosi would go to Taiwan during the August House recess as part of a tour of Asia. Her office had said before that she would visit Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, and Japan, but they didn't say anything about Taiwan.
After landing on Tuesday, the speaker finally confirmed the visit by saying that it "honors America's unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwan's vibrant Democracy."
“Our visit is part of our broader trip to the Indo-Pacific — including Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, and Japan — focused on mutual security, economic partnership and democratic governance,” Pelosi said in a statement.
“Our discussions with Taiwan leadership will focus on reaffirming our support for our partner and o promoting our shared interest, including advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific region.”
Both sides of the Pacific Ocean were tense after hearing about the visit. President Biden said on July 20 that the US military did not think it was a good idea for Pelosi to go to Taiwan right now. But members of Congress came together to back the speaker. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said that if Pelosi canceled, she would give China "a victory of sorts."
Beijing had made it clear many times that it would see a visit by Pelosi as an endorsement of Taiwan's independence. On Monday, China's Foreign Ministry said that its military would "not sit idly by" if the speaker went ahead with the trip.
"We want to tell the U.S. again that China is ready, that the Chinese People's Liberation Army will never stand by and do nothing, and that China will take firm steps to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity," spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Pelosi brushed off the Chinese threats by saying that the visit "in no way goes against long-standing U.S. policy, which is based on the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979, U.S.-China Joint Communiqués, and the Six Assurances."
“The United States continued to oppose unilateral efforts to change the status quo,” she added.
China views self-governed Taiwan as part of its territory, and Washington’s so-called “One China” policy means the US acknowledges — but does not endorse — Beijing’s claims.
While the US doesn’t have full diplomatic ties to Taiwan, it has an agreement to provide the island with the means to defend itself.
On Monday, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby insisted that Pelosi’s visit held no special significance.
“Nothing has changed,” he told reporters. “It is not without precedent for a Speaker of the House to go to Taiwan — if she goes, and I’m not confirming that she is — and it’s certainly not without precedent for members of Congress to want to travel to Taiwan. It has been done this year, and I’m certain that it will be done in the future.
“We have no interest … [in] increasing tensions here,” Kirby added.
Last week, Chinese leader Xi Jinping talked on the phone with President Biden and warned the US about what might happen if Pelosi came to visit.
In a summary of Thursday's 137-minute call, China's foreign ministry said, "The position of the Chinese government and people on the Taiwan issue is consistent, and the firm will of China's more than 1.4 billion people is to protect China's national sovereignty and territorial integrity."
"You can't go against what the public thinks. People who play with fire will die from it. It's hoped that the US will see this clearly."
Democratic Reps. will go with Pelosi on the trip. Gregory Meeks, Mark Takano, Suzan DelBene, Raja Krishnamoorthi, and Andy Kim are from New York, California, Washington, Illinois, and New Jersey, respectively.
