Speaker of the House of Representatives of the US Congress, Nancy Pelosi, despite Chinaʼs threat, arrived in Taiwan. Pelosi is the third-ranking official in the US and became the highest-ranking US politician to visit Taiwan since 1997.
Immediately after landing, Pelosi tweeted: “Our delegationʼs visit to Taiwan demonstrates Americaʼs unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwanʼs vibrant democracy. Our discussions with the Taiwanese leadership reaffirm our support and advance our shared interests, including the promotion of a free and open Indo-Pacific region. Americaʼs solidarity with Taiwanʼs 23 million people is more important today than ever as the world faces a choice between autocracy and democracy. Our visit is one of several congressional delegations to Taiwan and is in no way inconsistent with longstanding United States policy. The US continues to oppose unilateral efforts to change the status quo."
In China, her visit has already been called "a serious violation of sovereignty and territorial integrity."
Before that, China said that Pelosiʼs visit to Taiwan would undermine relations between Beijing and Washington. "The responsibility for all serious consequences arising from this will be fully borne by the United States," said Zhao Lijian, an official representative of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Also, amid rumors of Pelosiʼs visit to Taiwan, the Chinese military began an unplanned exercise.
Taiwan
It is a large island separated from mainland China by a strait. Taiwan declared its separation from China during the civil war in the region in 1949. Until 1971, Taiwan was the internationally recognized representative of China in the United Nations. Then most countries began to establish relations with Beijing and recognized its jurisdiction over Taiwan. Currently, the island state maintains diplomatic relations with only 15 countries, including the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu, Belize, Nicaragua, and only the Vatican from European countries. In January 2021, the United States of America decided to lift internal restrictions on cooperation with Taiwan.
China considers Taiwan its territory and hints at a possible military conquest of the island. The Taiwanese army will not be able to stand up to the Chinese army on its own, so the Taiwanese authorities hope for the quick protection of the US army. However, the participation of the Americans is not guaranteed.
- On July 30, Nancy Pelosi started her Asian tour. Its route includes Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and Singapore. Taiwan is not officially listed as a place to visit. The day before, China had already threatened the US with a military response.
- Joe Biden stated that the military said Pelosiʼs visit was not a good idea but called Chinaʼs criticism of the trip "clearly futile and unnecessary."