China has warned that it would interpret Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan as a direct provocation. China considers Taiwan a rebel province, which it wants to annex to the mother country, if necessary by military action.
The United States defended the Speaker of the House of Representatives on Monday Nancy Pelosi a possible trip to Taiwan. The visit started with a stop in Singapore, but it has been rumored for a long time that Pelosi would later also visit Taiwan.
– The president has the right to visit Taiwan, and China has no reason to turn the visit, which is in line with long-term US policy, into some kind of crisis, said a representative of the National Security Council John Kirby.
According to Kirby, it is possible that China is preparing for military provocations in the coming days. As such, Kirby mentioned the firing of missiles into the Taiwan Strait and airspace violations.
“Direct provocation”
China has warned that it would interpret Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan as a direct provocation. China considers Taiwan a rebel province, which it wants to annex to the mother country, if necessary by military action.
In Singapore, the Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong urged Pelosi at the meeting to seek “stable” relations with Beijing. China’s taunting has also caused concern in the White House, where the US president Joe Biden has tried to lower the temperature of relations with China.
Pelosi has announced that after Singapore she will visit at least Malaysia, Japan and South Korea.
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.