Despite threats from China that its military “would not sit idly by” if she visits Taiwan, US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi is anticipated to do so on her trip to Asia.
Despite the fact that it is not listed on her public itinerary, a senior member of the Taiwanese administration and a US official both confirmed to CNN that the stop is part of her trip.
According to CNN, the unnamed Taiwanese official stated that she is anticipated to spend the night in Taiwan, and the US official added that the military department was working to secure a plan to keep her safe.
In response to her visit, China declared on Monday that its military “would not sit quietly by.”
The most recent warning came from Zhao Lijian, a spokeswoman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, who said that Pelosi’s position as the “No. 3 official of the US government” would “lead to serious political consequences” if she visited Taiwan, which China claims as its own.
In the wee hours of Monday morning, Pelosi began a tour of four Asian nations in Singapore amid heated rumours that she would incur the wrath of Beijing by also travelling to Taiwan, which is self-ruled.
Just before 4:30 a.m. local time, the House Speaker arrived in Singapore, where Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong asked her to work toward “stable” relations with Beijing.
Pelosi will travel to four Asian nations this week: Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, and Japan, according to a news release issued by her office on Sunday.