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Former President Donald Trump went against dozens of his fellow Republicans and criticized House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday for going to Taiwan while China threatened to use force.
“Why is Crazy Nancy Pelosi in Taiwan,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
“Always causing trouble. Nothing she does turns out well (Two failed Impeachments, loss of House, etc.). WATCH!” he added.
Pelosi and five other Democratic members of Congress arrived in Taipei on Tuesday evening local time. She is the highest-ranking US elected official to visit Taiwan since then-House Speaker Newt Gingrich did so in 1997.
Pelosi’s office had previously announced that she would visit Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan, but avoided mentioning Taiwan until after the speaker was on the ground.
“Our Congressional delegation’s visit to Taiwan honors America’s unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwan’s vibrant Democracy,” Pelosi said in a statement Tuesday.
“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,” she 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.”
In the weeks before Pelosi's trip, the Chinese government made it clear that it would see the visit as a sign that Washington supported Taiwan's independence.
After Pelosi landed in Taipei, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said that her arrival would "seriously threaten China's sovereignty and territorial integrity."
“It gravely undermines peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and sends a seriously wrong signal to the separatist forces for ‘Taiwan independence.’ China firmly opposes and sternly condemns this, and has made serious démarche and strong protest to the United States,” the ministry said.
“These moves, like playing with fire, are extremely dangerous. Those who play with fire will perish by it,” it continued.
The speaker brushed off the threats, insisting her visit to Taiwan “in no way contradicts longstanding United States policy.”
“The United States continued to oppose unilateral efforts to change the status quo,” she said Tuesday.
China has long viewed Taiwan as part of its territory. For years, the US has abided by the so-called “One-China” policy, meaning Washington acknowledges but does not endorse Beijing’s claim.
During his time in office, Trump's relationship with China was on-again, off-again.
Shortly after he and Chinese President Xi Jinping signed the Phase One Trade Deal in January 2020, Trump said that the US's relationship with China "has probably never been better."
“He’s for China, I’m for the US, but other than that, we love each other,” the 45th president said of Xi during the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland
But just a few months later, Trump had changed his mind. He blamed China for the spread of COVID-19, and the illness became known as the "China virus."
In August 2020, the president said on Fox Sports Radio that he "used to have a very good relationship" with Xi, but that he doesn't "feel the same way now."
Trump told Pelosi late last week that she shouldn't go to Taiwan because "everything she touches turns to chaos."
"Why is Nancy Pelosi getting involved with China and Taiwan if not to cause trouble and make more money for her cheating husband, possibly through insider trading and information?" Trump wrote on.
“Everything she touches turns to Chaos, Disruption, and ‘Crap’ (her second big Congress ‘flop’ happening now!), and the China mess is the last thing she should be involved in – She will only make it worse. Crazy Nancy just inserts herself and causes great friction and hatred. She is such a mess!!!”
