(Washington Insider Magazine)- The unscheduled visit to Taiwan late on Tuesday by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who is leading a congressional team to Asia this week, intensified tensions between Washington and Beijing.
Tsai Ing-wen, the president of Taiwan, awarded Nancy Pelosi with the Order of Propitious Clouds with Special Grand Cordon, the highest honor of a civilian order, during their meeting, reported NBC NEWS.
Since former House Speaker Newt Gingrich visited Taiwan in 1997, Pelosi is the highest-ranking American official to have done so. She paid the island a visit in 1999, but she wasn’t in charge at the time. Pelosi had been urged to travel by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle (as well as Gingrich) despite warnings from Beijing of “serious consequences.”
Taiwan, according to Pelosi, is a “flourishing democracy” whose history serves as an example to all Americans and others who value freedom anywhere else in the world.
China swiftly denounced Pelosi’s visit on Tuesday and scheduled more military training, including live-fire drills, around Taiwan later this week.
Beijing said that it has conveyed a “strong protest” to Washington.
Around 10:45 p.m. local time, a military-operated government aircraft with the words “United States of America” landed in Taipei, Taiwan’s capital. Pelosi and the entourage exited the aircraft and descended the steps to the tarmac, where they were welcomed by representatives of Taiwan.
Tsai emphasized the significance of security in the Indo-Pacific region given the conflict in Ukraine during remarks she shared with Pelosi on Wednesday.
The Taiwan Relations Act of 1979, the 3 U.S.-China Joint Communiques, and the 6 Assurances all govern long-standing U.S. policy, and Pelosi and the other legislators made it plain that their travel to Taiwan was just one of many by congressional delegations and did not conflict with them.
The lawmakers visited Singapore and Malaysia earlier this week. The delegation will visit Japan and South Korea after Taiwan.
For days, Pelosi’s staff has refused to confirm any travel arrangements outside of the United States, citing security precautions. The travel had not been authorized by the White House either.
The visit occurs as Washington’s anxiety over the future of the self-governing democracy that China claims as its own territory is increasing.
The trip was discussed last week during a phone discussion between Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden. When Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan was approaching, the White House backtracked on Biden’s declaration that U.S. military experts believed it was “not a good idea.”
John Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council, stated on Monday that Pelosi’s prospective travel was in line with long-standing U.S. policy. He also warned China to avoid inciting a crisis or using it as a pretext to intensify its aggressive military operations in or near the Taiwan Strait.
