News Desk :
US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi is likely to visit Taiwan as part of her Asia tour though China has repeatedly warned that its military will take action if she does.
The Chinese Army “won’t sit idly by” if Pelosi visited Taiwan, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said Monday during a regular press briefing in Beijing.
Despite China’s threats over a possible Taiwan visit by Nancy Pelosi, “US military preparation” is still underway, Politico has reported.
Zhao Lijian also said, because of Pelosi’s status as the “No 3 official of the US government”, a visit to Taiwan, which China claims as its own, would “lead to egregious political impact” as the trip would be highly sensitive.
Nancy Pelosi might visit Taiwan during her Asia tour, according to a senior Taiwanese government official and a US official, despite warnings from Biden administration officials, who are worried about China’s response to such a high-profile visit amid intense speculation that she may
risk the wrath of Beijing by visiting Taiwan. Pelosi left Taiwan out of the itinerary in a statement on Sunday announcing the Asia trip, which will also includes stops in Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi would be the most-senior US official to visit Taiwan since 1997.
US officials say China may be confusing Pelosi’s visit with an official administration visit, since she and Biden are both Democrats. Administration officials are concerned that China doesn’t separate Pelosi from Biden much, if at all.
Biden said last month that the US military opposed Pelosi visiting Taiwan, though since then has refused to elaborate on the warnings. The White House has said it is up to the House speaker where she travels, and that they have little say in her decision.
