The chairman of the House of Representatives ignores the threats from Beijing, which has used warships as a means of pressure
The President of the United States House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, landed in Taiwan at 10:40 PM local time (4:40 PM in Spain) on Tuesday, several local media outlets said. The third US authority is in line with what has been announced in recent days, making the first visit to the island since 1997 by a high-ranking US representative (the last was Republican Newt Gingrich in 1997, with Bill Clinton in the White House).
Pelosi’s landing in Taiwan poses a challenge to China, which had threatened “strong measures” against the eventual visit. The Democratic leader has been on a tour of Asia in recent days, which has taken her to Singapore or Malaysia, among other places, from where she left for Taipei, the capital of the Chinese island.
“President Pelosi, welcome to Taiwan. Thank you. TW loves the USA” read a message in Chinese and English on the facade of Taipei 101, the tallest building in Taiwan, to receive the congressional delegation.
In recent hours, Beijing has deployed warships and conducted military maneuvers in the South China Sea, near the Taiwan Strait, as a coercive measure in light of a possible visit by Pelosi. The US, for its part, has positioned four military ships in the area, including the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan. Meanwhile, Taipei has ordered its armed forces to be ready for battle since Tuesday.
The Chinese Defense Ministry also warned last week that the People’s Liberation Army “will not sit still”. He did so before the Chinese and American leaders, Xi Jinping and Joe Biden, made a phone call.
The scenario that opens up from now on is uncertain. Pelosi considers Pelosi’s shutdown in Taiwan a serious insult because in practice it boosts Taiwan’s independence ambitions from mainland China.
Since they restored ties in 1979, relations between the US and China, the two largest world powers, have been based on the “One China” principle, meaning Washington recognizes Beijing as the representative of the Asian giant. However, Taiwan’s status would not be defined, allowing the US to maintain a “strategic ambiguity” with the island so that it can provide military support if needed, as Biden himself has repeatedly admitted.
Source: La Verdad
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