Pelosi to arrive in Taiwan tomorrow, agenda may include meetings with top leadership

Washington [US], August 1 (ANI): US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is expected to arrive in Taiwan on August 2 and meet with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, according to Sputnik News Agency citing a Chinese media outlet.
The US official is also expected to hold a meeting with other high-ranking officials while in Taiwan and leave the island on Wednesday, as per reports.
Last month, Beijing had warned the US against the House of Representatives Speaker’s Taiwan visit saying that it will act strongly and take countermeasures if the US side insists on going ahead with the visit.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said Pelosi’s Taiwan visit will have a severe negative impact on the political foundation of China-US relations.
US President Joe Biden had said the US military believes it is not a “good idea” for House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi to travel to Taiwan as planned. “The military thinks it’s not a good idea right now,” Biden said on Wednesday as quoted by the White House press pool.
China has on many occasions firmly opposed any form of official interaction between the United States and the Taiwan region.
While warning against US House speaker’s Taiwan visit, a Chinese state media outlet said, “If the news is true and the trip happens, it will be one of the most egregious provocations by the US to China on the Taiwan question since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the US.”
A Global Times editorial said visiting Taiwan is definitely a red line that Pelosi must never cross.
Back in April, Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan had been postponed after she tested positive for COVID-19. At that time, Beijing had resolutely opposed any official exchange between the United States and Taiwan.
Meanwhile, Pelosi kicked off her Asia tour, the delegation led by her made a courtesy call to President Halimah Yacob, and also met with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan today.
The Congressional delegation led by Nancy Pelosi comprises Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Gregory Meeks (D-New York), Chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee Mark Takano (D-California), Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (D-Washington), Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Illinois), and Congressman Andy Kim (D-New Jersey), Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore said in a statement. (ANI)