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The cease – the primary for a US House speaker in 25 years – is just not presently on Pelosi’s public journey schedule and comes at a time when US-China relations are already at a low level.
The Taiwanese official mentioned he’s anticipated to remain in Taiwan in a single day. It is unclear when precisely Pelosi will land in Taipei.
During a routine international ministry briefing on Monday, China warned in opposition to the “serious political implications” of Pelosi’s deliberate go to to the self-ruled island that China claims as part of its territory and reiterated that its navy “Won’t sit idly by” if Beijing feels its “sovereignty and territorial integrity” are threatened.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian mentioned, “We would like to tell America once again that China is standing, and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army will never sit idly by. China will defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity with a firm response and a strong retaliation.” will take motion.” told reporters, when Pelosi was asked about the consequences of leading a congressional delegation to Taipei.
“For what measure, if she dares to go, let’s wait and see,” said Zhao.
John Kirby, the National Security Council’s coordinator for strategic communications, said on Monday that the Biden administration would support Pelosi on her visit to Taiwan.
“We need to be sure that when she travels overseas, she will achieve this safely and safely and we’re going to ensure. There’s no purpose for Chinese rhetoric. No purpose for any motion.” It’s not unusual for congressional leaders to travel to Taiwan,” Kirby advised CNN’s Brianna Keeler on “New Day.”
“We shouldn’t be as a country — we shouldn’t be intimidated by that rhetoric or those potential actions. It’s an important visit for the speaker and we’re going to do whatever we can to support that.” ,” Kirby continued.
Asked if the US was ready to disagree with China over the go to, Kirby mentioned, “There has been no change in our policy. Our focus is on trying to keep the Indo-Pacific region free and safe and open.” There hasn’t been any change.”
“The query of Taiwan is probably the most delicate, essential core subject in Sino-US relations,” said the Chinese ambassador to the US Qin Gang at the Aspen Security Forum in July.
While Biden has publicly said that the US military did not believe Pelosi was a good time to visit Taiwan, according to two sources, it has held off on asking him not to go directly.
Administration officials have worked in recent weeks to apprise the House speaker of the risks of moving to the democratic, self-governing island of 24 million residents, including briefings from the Pentagon and other administrative officials. But Biden didn’t seem to believe it was his place to tell her he shouldn’t, and he has refrained from commenting publicly about his visit since his initial statement on July 21.
Biden said last month that the US military opposed Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, although he has since declined to elaborate on the warnings. The White House has said that it is up to the Speaker of the House where she goes.
Still, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin recently said he discussed traveling to Asia with Pelosi.
The administration takes extra care of Pelosi’s safety when she travels abroad because she is in line for the presidency.
Administration officials are concerned that Pelosi’s visit comes at a particularly tense moment, as Xi is expected to seek an unprecedented third term at the upcoming Chinese Communist Party Congress. It is expected that Chinese party officials will begin to lay the groundwork for that conference in the coming weeks, which will put pressure on the leadership in Beijing to show strength.
Officials also believe that the Chinese leadership does not fully understand the political dynamics in the United States, leading to misunderstandings over the importance of Pelosi’s possible visit. Officials say China may be confusing Pelosi’s visit with an official administration visit, as both she and Biden are Democrats. Administration officials are concerned that China does not separate Pelosi from Biden much, if at all.
Pelosi has long been a critic of the Chinese Communist Party. He has met pro-democracy dissidents and the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader in exile, who remains a thorn in the side of the Chinese government. In 1991, Pelosi hoisted a black-and-white banner in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square in memory of the victims of the 1989 massacre, saying, “To those that died for democracy.” In recent years, she lent support to pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.
The Chinese embassy within the United States has objected to her anticipated go to, which was deliberate for April, earlier than Pelosi examined optimistic for Covid-19, asking members of Congress to ask the speaker to not make it. requested.
“I’d say there was a full-court press launch from the Chinese embassy to discourage journey to Taiwan,” Washington Democratic Rep. Rick Larson, co-chair of the Congressional US-China Working Group, told CNN. “I do not assume it is their job to inform us what we should always do. That was my message again.”
Liu Pengyu, a spokesman for the Chinese embassy in the US, responded that his office was in “common contact” with members of Congress, including Larson.
“We have made our place clear and clear on the Taiwan query,” Pengyu said. “The Embassy is making all our efforts to forestall peace and stability within the Taiwan Straits and the doable go to of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan from harming the steadiness of Sino-US relations.”
“We hope that severe penalties may be averted,” he said. “It is within the frequent curiosity of each China and the US.”
Many Democrats and Republicans in Congress said it was Pelosi’s right to visit Taiwan.
“It is Speaker Pelosi’s determination alone whether or not to journey to Taiwan, not some other nation,” said Illinois Republican Rep. Darin LaHood, Larson’s Republican counterpart in the US-China Working Group. “In our democratic system – we work with separate however equal branches of presidency.”
“It is inappropriate for international governments, together with the Chinese authorities, to try to affect the power or proper for the speaker, members of Congress, or different US authorities officers to journey to Taiwan or wherever world wide,” he said.
Other members appeared more cautious about diplomatically sensitive travel.
California Democratic Rep. Judy Chu, the first Chinese American woman elected to Congress, said she “has at all times supported Taiwan.”
But when asked whether the trip to Taiwan now would send the wrong message, Chu said, “You can have a look at it in two methods. One is that the connection may be very tense proper now. But however, you may say that perhaps This is when Taiwan additionally wants to indicate power and assist.”
When asked what she thought, she said, “I go away it to those that are going to make this determination.”
This story has been up to date with extra particulars on Monday.
CNN’s Nectar Gan, Chandelis Duster and Betsy Klein contributed to this report.
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