Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the US House of Representatives, arrived in Malaysia on Tuesday. It is the second leg of his Asian tour which is likely to raise tensions between China and the United States due to an unconfirmed but increasingly likely visit to Taiwan.
Nancy Pelosi landed at a Malaysian air base on Tuesday morning before meeting the prime minister and the speaker of the lower house of parliament, state news agency Bernama reported. After Singapore and Malaysia, his itinerary includes stops in South Korea and Japan.
The vagueness is knowingly maintained around a possible visit to Taiwan. Several titles of the international press, however, say that a visit is well planned, the Financial Times referring to a meeting between Ms. Pelosi and the president of Taiwan on Wednesday. If the White House is embarrassed by the situation, John Kirby, its spokesman, said Monday that Ms Pelosi had “ the right to visit Taiwan “.
There is no reason for Beijing to turn a potential visit, consistent with longstanding US policy, into some kind of crisis or conflict. Or to use it as a pretext to strengthen its military activity around or in the Taiwan Strait.
White House spokesman John Kirby on Nancy Pelosi’s possible visit to Taiwan
Although most observers rate the likelihood of an armed conflict as low, US officials have said they are preparing for possible displays of force by the Chinese military, such as missile strikes in the Taiwan Straits or massive air raids. around the island.
The United States practices with regard to Taiwan a diplomacy known as strategic ambiguity ”, consisting of recognizing only one Chinese government, that of Beijing, while continuing to provide decisive support to Taipei, but refraining from saying whether or not they would defend the island militarily in the event of an invasion. . Beijing considers the island as part of its territory to be reunified, by force if necessary, and has repeatedly warned Washington against a visit by the senior official which would be seen as a major provocation.
The Taiwanese government for its part refrained from commenting on a visit by Nancy Pelosi. Prime Minister Su Tseng-chang did not confirm the visit Tuesday when asked by reporters, but thanked Nancy Pelosi for her support. Taiwanese newspaper Liberty Times quoted unnamed sources as saying Nancy Pelosi would land on the island on Tuesday evening and meet Tsai Ing-wen the following day before departing again in the afternoon. On Tuesday, the Taiwanese Ministry of Defense said to itself “ determined in a statement to protect the island against threats from China.
You know, China has been threatening us for 75 years…and this isn’t the first time Beijing has flexed its muscles, so no, it doesn’t worry me that much. And anyway, we can not do much! I have the impression that we are caught in spite of ourselves in this rivalry between two powers.
What Taiwanese think of a possible Nancy Pelosi visit
Beijing is threatening
Last week, on the occasion a telephone interview with the American president, Xi Jinping had called on the United States not to don’t play with fire “. “ As we see it, such a visit seems very dangerous and very provocative. “, added at a press conference the Chinese ambassador to the United Nations, Zhang Jun.
To support their message, the Chinese military released a martial tone video on the internet on Monday. Soldiers are shouting that they are ready for battle, fighters are taking off, paratroopers are jumping out of a plane, and a hail of missiles is annihilating various targets there.
On Tuesday, the hypothesis of an imminent visit by the senior American official sent Asian stock markets plummeting. Investors worried about escalating risks with China.
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(With AFP)