Speaker Nancy Pelosi is expected to appear in Singapore on Monday as part of a closely watched Asia tour that has raised concerns, including at the highest levels of the US government. , about dangerously rising tensions with China about the possibility that she will stop in Taiwan.
Ms. Pelosi has not confirmed whether she will visit Taiwan, an autonomous democracy of 23 million people that China claims as its own territory. But she suggested a trip to the island this year, which was postponed because she contracted the coronavirus, and when asked recently about her travel plans, she said that “what It is important that we show our support for Taiwan.”
On Sunday, Ms. Pelosi revealed some more details about her itinerary, which she had previously refused to disclose, citing security concerns. Her office said in a statement that her trip, in which she will be accompanied by a small congressional delegation, will include visits to Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan, to “focus on mutual security, Economic Partnership and Democratic Governance in the Indo-Pacific Region.” A post on the website of the American Chamber of Commerce in Singapore said that Ms. Pelosi would attend a cocktail reception organized by the group on Monday afternoon.
The possibility of Ms. Pelosi – who would be the highest-ranking US official to visit Taiwan since 1997, when a former speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich, visited – comes at a particularly delicate time in relations. America-China. The Biden Administration increasingly worried that China’s leader, Xi Jinping, may attempt to move, perhaps by force, against Taiwan within the next year and a half.
Mr. Xi, China’s most authoritarian leader in decades, has pledged to pursue reunification with Taiwan, though he did not specify a timeline. Some analysts worry he may feel pressured to take a tough stance — possibly including military action — against any challenge to that pledge before the Republican National Convention. important Chinese asset this fall, when he is expected to announce a third term as leader.
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Mr. Biden himself appeared to have hinted at the risk of a clash with China if Ms. Pelosi visited. When asked by reporters about the proposed trip recently, he said that “the military thinks it’s not a good idea right now.” The President has also strengthen US relations with Asian allies as a potential counterweight to China’s rise.
China did not specify how it would react if Ms. Pelosi’s visit goes ahead. In two hours The phone call between Mr. Xi and Mr. Biden On Thursday, his first face-to-face conversation in four months, Xi warned Biden not to “play with fire” on the Taiwan issue, according to a Chinese government statement that did not explicitly mention the issue. Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Others were more direct in denouncing the potential visit. A spokesman for China’s foreign ministry, Zhao Lijian, told reporters last week that China would take “firm and firm measures” if Ms. Pelosi visited Taiwan and that the United States would “responsible for all serious consequences.” Some political analysts and commentators in state media have suggested that China will activate its air force to prevent the visit – raising the specter of armed conflict.
Chinese army announced It will conduct exercises on Saturday with live ammunition in waters off the southeastern province of Fujian, about 80 miles from Taiwan. On Sunday, a spokesman for the Chinese air force speak that the country’s warplanes flew around Taiwan to enhance its ability to defend its territorial integrity, without specifying a date.
The Biden administration insists that its position on Taiwan has not changed, a message Biden conveyed to Xi during their phone call, according to the White House. It is longstanding American policy to acknowledge, not endorse, China’s position that Taiwan is part of its territory, and assumes that the United States will defend the island without saying exactly how.
But the president has little formal authority over Ms. Pelosi and her travel plans. And rising anti-China sentiment among both Democrats and Republicans made it politically awkward for Mr. Biden to publicly block her trip.
Some China and US analysts have downplayed the risk of military escalation, noting that Mr. Xi may want to avoid the unpredictable ahead of this year’s Party congress. On Friday, a White House national security spokesman told reporters that the United States sees no evidence of imminent Chinese military activity against Taiwan.
Chen Qi, a professor of international relations at Tsinghua University in Beijing, said domestic politics, in both China and the United States, left little room for de-escalation. Professor Chen said in a Interview with a journalist for Xinhua News AgencyChina’s state news agency. And China cannot be seen as vulnerable to a provocation.
“Now, who blinks first,” Professor Chen said.
John Liu and Claire Fu research contributions
