Washington hopes to defuse tensions with China over Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan

The White House was on Tuesday in favor of being able to put a stop to the high tensions between Washington and Beijing, after the visit to Taiwan from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

“What we don’t want to see is this build up to any kind of crisis or conflict,” National Security Council chief spokesman John Kirby told reporters. “There’s just no reason to amplify this,” he added.

Kirby responded several times, to the press’s inquiry, that Pelosi has every right to visit Taiwan, where she arrived on Tuesday.

The Democratic lawmaker’s visit to Taiwan is the highest-level US presence in 25 years on the island, which was seen by the Chinese government as a threat to peace and stability in the region.

“If Pelosi insists on visiting Taiwan, China will take firm and resolute measures to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said in Beijing on Monday, without elaborating.

Arriving on the Asian island, Pelosi declared in a tweet: “Our visit reiterates that the United States stands with Taiwan: a strong and vibrant democracy, and our important partner in the Indo-Pacific.”

Chinese warplanes flew over the line dividing the Taiwan Strait before their arrival, and the Chinese military announced joint air and sea exercises near Taiwan starting Tuesday night, as well as test launches of conventional missiles in the sea ​​east of the island, according to Chinese state agencies.

_{*Some of the information for this report came from Reuters and AP.}

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