US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is currently visiting Asia. Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan is expected to arouse anger in China’s leadership.
Antti Palomaa,
Jenni Mehtonen
16:00•Updated 18:18
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday evening. Pelosi’s plane landed at the airport west of Taipei shortly before 18:00 Finnish time.
“Our discussions with the Taiwanese leadership are focused on strengthening our support for our partner and advancing our common interests,” Pelosi said, according to Reuters.
Pelosi also said that her visit is in no way inconsistent with the long-standing US policy towards China.
Pelosi is the most senior US representative to visit Taiwan in 25 years. At the Taipei airport, Pelosi was received by Taiwan’s foreign minister Joseph Wu.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives holds the third highest position in the hierarchy of the US administration, after the President and the Vice President.
Pelosi started her visit to Asia yesterday from Singapore.
The Air Force plane carrying Pelosi on her trip to Asia took off from Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday before noon Finnish time. At that time, there was still no information on whether Pelosi was definitely on the plane.
China warned of consequences
Pelosi’s visit is expected to further strain the relationship between the United States and China. China considers Taiwan to be part of its territory and pursues the so-called one-China policy.
China has warned that Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan would have consequences.
– The United States will have to bear the responsibility and pay the price for ignoring China’s security interests, a spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Hua Chunying said.
China said it had been in contact with the United States about Pelosi’s possible visit to Taiwan.
China’s foreign ministry said it hopes the United States is aware of the sensitivities and seriousness of the potential visit.
On Monday, the United States defended Pelosi’s possible trip to Taiwan. A representative of the National Security Council of John Kirby according to Pelosi, she has the right to visit Taiwan, and China has no reason to turn a visit that is in line with long-term US policy into a crisis.
The schedule was estimated
According to the Reuters news agency, Pelosi’s meetings in Taiwan are scheduled for Wednesday.
A source familiar with Pelosi’s visit schedule confirmed to Reuters that the intention is to arrange a meeting between Pelosi and the president of Taiwan Tsai Ing-wen sometimes on Wednesday.
The Taiwanese newspaper Liberty Times reported earlier, based on its own sources, that Pelosi would arrive at Taipei Songshan Airport on Tuesday evening.
Military equipment has also been brought to the scene
Taiwan has reacted to China’s taunting. Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense has announced that it is aware of the proximity of Chinese military aircraft and warships in the Taiwan Strait. According to the Ministry of Defense, Taiwan plans to put troops on standby in response to “enemy threats”.
The ministry said in a statement that it has the determination, ability and confidence to ensure Taiwan’s national security.
As tensions escalate, the United States has brought four warships to the eastern side of the island of Taiwan. One of the warships is an aircraft carrier.
Russia also commented on the visit
Russia has also commented on a possible visit. The country has warned the US, saying it is pure provocation.
– We don’t know for sure whether Pelosi will travel to Taiwan or not, but everything about Pelosi’s Asian tour and possible visit to Taiwan is a provocation, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday.
Spokesman of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Maria Zakharova said that Russia supports Beijing’s “One China Policy”, which states that Taiwan is part of China. According to Zakharova, Russia opposes Taiwan’s independence in all its forms.
On Tuesday, a cyber attack was made on the website of Taiwan’s presidential office from outside the country’s borders, under the guise of a possible visit. The chancellery’s website went down for a while, but it was quickly restored.
Biden is trying to calm the relations between the countries
In late July, the President of the United States Joe Biden and the President of China Xi Jinping talked on the phone and at that time also agreed to meet face to face.
According to the White House, the negotiations were aimed at smoothing the problematic differences between the countries. Chinese state media described the more than two-hour phone call as frank.
Among other things, Xi warned Biden not to “play with fire” regarding Taiwan.
Taiwan is a self-governing island off the coast of China. The United States opposes China’s efforts to change the status quo in Taiwan.