Pelosi arrives in Taiwan amid tensions and threats from China about retaliation

() –– Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House of Representatives, landed in Taiwan on Tuesday night (local time), amid threats from China for her visit to the island and concerns from the Biden government. Her arrival marks a significant show of diplomatic support for the island despite warnings of retaliation from China for the trip.

This is the first time in 25 years that a speaker of the US House of Representatives has visited Taiwan.

A Taiwanese official previously told that Pelosi is expected to spend the night in Taipei.

“An Unwavering Commitment”

Pelosi and the congressional delegation that accompanied her said in a statement Tuesday that the visit “honors the United States’ unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwan’s vibrant democracy.”

“Our talks with Taiwan’s leaders will focus on reaffirming our support for our partner and promoting our shared interests, including advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific region,” Pelosi’s statement said. “America’s solidarity with Taiwan’s 23 million people is more important today than ever, as the world faces a choice between autocracy and democracy.”

China announces military exercises

Minutes after Pelosi arrived on the island, the Chinese Foreign Ministry condemned the visit and warned that it would take “all necessary measures” to safeguard its sovereignty.

The Foreign Ministry noted that Pelosi landed on the island “without taking into account the strong opposition and serious representations from China.” He added that this is “a serious violation of the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-US joint treaties. It has a profound impact on the political foundation of China-US relations and violates gravely the sovereignty and territorial integrity of China”.

In addition, he pointed out that it “seriously undermines peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and sends a very wrong signal to the separatist forces for ‘Taiwan independence’.”

In that sense, he said that the country will take “definitely all the necessary measures to safeguard” its sovereignty “and territorial integrity in response to the visit” by Pelosi. And he issued the strong warning that “all the consequences arising from it should be borne by the US side and the ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces.”

It was then announced that China’s military will begin exercises around Taiwan in response to Pelosi’s visit to the autonomous island. Statements by the Ministry of Defense and the Eastern Theater Command mentioned a series of “military operations aimed at countering the situation.”

“Starting on the night of August 2, the Eastern Theater Command will execute a series of joint military operations around the island of Taiwan and conduct joint air and sea exercises in the northern, southwestern and southeastern sea and airspaces of Taiwan. the island of Taiwan, will conduct long-range live ammunition firing in the Taiwan Strait and organize regular guided fire tests in the eastern waters of the island of Taiwan,” said Colonel Shi Yi, spokesman for the Theater Command of the East.

“This action is a solemn deterrent against the recent great escalation of negative actions by the United States on the Taiwan issue. And a serious warning to the ‘Taiwan independence’ forces,” the statement added.

The Eastern Theater is one of five People’s Liberation Army joint commands with jurisdiction over China’s eastern coastal provinces of Fujian and Zhejiang, which lie opposite and over Taiwan.

In a separate statement, China’s Defense Ministry confirmed that the military is on “high alert” and will “launch a series of targeted military operations” aimed at “defending national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

“China has repeatedly pointed out the serious consequences of the visit to Taiwan, but Pelosi knowingly and maliciously provoked and created a crisis. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is on high alert and will launch a series of targeted military operations.” to counter the situation, resolutely uphold national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and resolutely thwart outside forces’ interference and secessionist “‘Taiwan independence'” schemes, Defense Ministry spokesman Wu Qian said.

China’s military has been posting videos and messages pledging to safeguard its “national sovereignty and territorial integrity” since news broke of a possible visit by Pelosi to Taiwan, which Beijing considers a breakaway province, last month.

Pelosi: “The United States supports Taiwan”

Pelosi wrote an op-ed for the daily Washington Post which was published after his arrival in Taiwan on Tuesday. In the piece he argues that his trip demonstrates the United States’ commitment to the island under threat from China. “In the face of accelerating aggression from the Chinese Communist Party, the visit by our Congressional delegation should be seen as an unequivocal statement that the United States stands with Taiwan, our democratic partner, while defending itself and its freedom,” Pelosi wrote.

The California Democrat is traveling with House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Gregory Meeks of New York; Veterans Affairs Chairman Mark Takano of California; and Representatives Suzan DelBene of Washington state, Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois, and Andy Kim of New Jersey.

For its part, the White House reacted to the visit on Tuesday by pointing out that Pelosi’s trip was consistent with Washington’s policy regarding Taiwan. And he added that the United States would closely watch China’s actions after the House speaker left the country.

“Obviously, we are going to be watching this closely. There is no reason for this visit to become an event that leads to a crisis or a conflict, nor a pretext that the Chinese might try to stir up some kind of military action.” , National Security Council Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby said on ‘s “At this Hour with Kate Bolduan.”

“Of course, we are concerned about that, so part of his trip is to reaffirm the United States’ commitment under the Taiwan Relations Act to help Taiwan with its self-defense,” Kirby added. “Again, there is no reason for this to erupt into a conflict. There is no change in our policy. This is absolutely consistent with it. And we are just going to watch how things develop,” he completed.

China’s warnings for Pelosi’s arrival in Taiwan

While Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan did not appear on her Asia tour itinerary, the visit was widely discussed for weeks before her trip. The potential trip drew warnings from China, as well as from the Biden administration, which informed the House speaker of the risks of visiting the democratic, self-governing island, which China claims as part of its territory.

Indeed, hours before Pelosi landed in Taipei, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi echoed President Xi Jinping’s warnings that the United States should not “play with fire” in Taiwan. In that sense, the foreign minister reiterated Beijing’s position that any interference with its one-China principle is an “indisputable red line.”

“The one China principle is the universal consensus of the international community, the political basis for China’s exchanges with other countries, the core of China’s interests, and an unquestionable red line and end result,” the statement read. Wang’s statement posted on the ministry’s website.

international tensions

On Monday, a senior Taiwanese government official and a US official confirmed that Pelosi was going to visit Taiwan, despite warnings from the Biden administration, which is concerned about China’s response to a visit from Taiwan. so high profile.

Hours later that day, China warned of the “appalling political impact” of Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan and said its military “will not sit idly by” if Beijing believes its “sovereignty and territorial integrity” are being threatened.

The US official added on Monday that defense department officials are working around the clock to monitor any movement by China in the region and ensure a plan to keep it safe.

White House officials warned China on Monday not to take escalation in response to Pelosi’s trip. “There is no reason for Beijing to turn a possible visit, which is in line with long-standing US policy, into some kind of crisis or conflict, or use it as a pretext to increase aggressive military activity in or around the Taiwan Strait. Kirby told reporters this day.

For his part, Secretary of State Antony Blinken also said on Monday that the decision to visit Taiwan was made by the Speaker of the House. In that sense, he pointed out that there was a precedent for visits by members of Congress, including previous presidents of the House. “Congress is an independent and co-equal branch of government,” Blinken said in remarks at the United Nations. “The decision is entirely up to the president.”

A group of more than two dozen Senate Republicans, including party leader Mitch McConnell, issued a statement supporting Pelosi’s congressional delegation, all Democrats.

“We support House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan,” the Republicans said. “For decades, members of the United States Congress, including past Speakers of the House, have traveled to Taiwan. This trip is consistent with America’s One China policy to which we are committed. We are also committed now, more than ever before with all the elements of the Taiwan Relations Law.

Was it a good time?

President Joe Biden publicly said the US military didn’t think this was a good time for Pelosi to visit Taiwan, but noted that he stopped short of directly telling the congresswoman not to go, two sources previously told .

The Taiwan issue remains one of the most contentious in US-China relations. Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed it at length during a phone call last week that lasted more than two hours.

Administration officials are concerned that Pelosi’s trip comes at an especially tense time. Precisely when Xi is expected to seek an unprecedented third term at the next Chinese Communist Party congress. There are also expectations that Chinese party officials will start laying the groundwork for that conference in the coming weeks, pressing leaders in Beijing to show strength.

While Biden has not endorsed Pelosi’s visit, US officials believe China’s leadership may be mistaking this trip for an official government visit. And they worry that China will not differentiate Pelosi from Biden, much, if at all, since they are both Democrats.

‘s Eric Cheung, Kylie Atwood, Alex Rogers and Kevin Liptak contributed to this report.