The Speaker of the US House of Representatives arrived in Taiwan late on Tuesday, kicking off a visit Beijing had warned her not to make, saying it would undermine Sino-US relations.
Television footage showed the 82-year-old legislator upon her arrival at Taipei’s Songshan Airport, where she was greeted by Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu.
She is the highest-ranking US official to visit Taiwan since her predecessor Newt Gingrich in 1997.
Minutes before Pelosi’s arrival, Chinese television announced that Chinese fighter planes had crossed the Taiwan Strait. “China’s Su-35 fighter planes are crossing the Taiwan Strait,” the CGTN chain said, without further details.
Pelosi is on a tour of Asia that includes announced visits to Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan.
In a statement, Pelosi said Tuesday that “we are engaged in a wide range of discussions on how to achieve our common goals and make the Indo-Pacific (region) safe.”
Why does China reject this visit?
China’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday condemned Pelosi’s visit to China, saying it seriously harms peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
In a statement issued just after her arrival in Taipei late on Tuesday, China’s Foreign Ministry said Pelosi’s visit seriously affects the political foundations of China-U.S. relations, saying she had introduced a strong protest against the United States.
A Foreign Ministry spokesman told the Times earlier that a visit by Pelosi would be “gross interference in China’s internal affairs” and warned that “the Chinese People’s Liberation Army will never sit idly by.”
He warned that he will consider a visit by Pelosi to the island as a provocation.
“The United States will bear the responsibility and pay the price for undermining China’s sovereignty and security,” Hua Chunying, a spokeswoman for Chinese diplomacy, told reporters.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said “the United States’ breach of trust on the Taiwan issue is despicable,” in comments posted on the ministry’s website on Tuesday that did not mention Pelosi.
Given this, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said Tuesday that the territory is “determined, capable and confident” that it will be able to protect the island from China’s growing threats.
Why did Pelosi travel to Taiwan despite warnings?
Senior American officials do not usually visit Taiwan. After it reestablished diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China in 1979, the United States stopped officially recognizing Taiwan as an independent country, so relations became informal.
Before that, the United States recognized Taiwan as the government of China. The only president to ever visit the country was Dwight D. Eisenhower, who met with Chiang Kai-shek in Taipei in 1960.
Current US policy involves supporting Taiwanese self-government while recognizing Beijing over Taipei and opposing a formal declaration of independence by Taiwan or a forcible takeover by China.
In an opinion piece published in the Speaker of the House of Representatives Speaker says the United States should defend Taiwan, whose democracy is at risk. He assures that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is accelerating its aggression against the island.
In this context “our visit should be seen as an unequivocal declaration that the United States supports Taiwan, our democratic partner, and defends it and its democracy,” the legislator said in the article.
Pelosi assures that this visit does not violate the policy of diplomatic relations with China, since the United States continues to oppose unilateral efforts to change the status quo.
“Our talks with our Taiwanese partners will focus on reaffirming our support for the island and furthering our shared interests, including advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific region,” Pelosi said.
What is the relationship between China and Taiwan
China is currently represented by two separate authorities: the Republic of China—known as Taiwan—and the People’s Republic of China—in mainland China and commonly known as China.
After the end of World War II, infighting resumed in mainland China, with the ROC government—established in 1912 as a successor to the Qing dynasty—relocating to Taiwan, and the group led by Mao Zedong creating the Republic of China village.
To this day, the PRC has control over mainland China, while the ROC has control over the island of Taiwan, the Penghu archipelago, and the smaller Kinmen and Matsu islands, while each government claims sovereignty over all “China”.
Beijing regards Taiwan as part of its territory that it has to reunify, by force if necessary.
How has Taiwan reacted to this visit?
The Taiwanese government has remained cautious on the issue.
Prime Minister Su Tseng-chang did not confirm the visit Tuesday when asked by reporters, but thanked Pelosi for her support.
Taiwan’s 23 million people live in fear of invasion, a situation that has worsened under Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Last week, in a conversation with Biden, Xi warned the US not to “play with fire” on the Taiwan issue.
On Monday, Chinese ambassador to the UN Zhang Hun called Pelosi’s visit “very dangerous, very provocative.”
To back up its message, the Chinese military released a martial-sounding video online on Monday showing soldiers shouting in readiness to fight, fighters taking off, paratroopers jumping out of a plane or a hail of missiles annihilating multiple targets.
With information from AFP and Reuters
