While no official announcement has been made, local media in Taiwan reported that Pelosi would arrive in its capital Taipei on Tuesday night.
Taiwan’s three biggest national newspapers The United Daily News, Liberty Times and China Times, citing unnamed sources, said she would arrive in Taipei on Tuesday night after visiting Malaysia. Such a visit could spark anger in Beijing, which considers Taiwan its territory and has repeatedly warned of “serious consequences”.
On the other hand, Pelosi reached Singapore in the early hours of Monday and met the leaders there. The foreign ministry said Pelosi met with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore, President Halimah Yacoub and other cabinet members.
In a statement over the weekend, Pelosi said she would also visit Malaysia, South Korea and Japan to discuss trade, the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, security and “democratic governance”. However, he did not confirm reports about him visiting Taiwan. It is noteworthy that China claims it to be its territory.
Chinese President Xi Jinping last week warned against interference in Taiwan’s affairs in a telephone conversation with his US counterpart Joe Biden.
Pelosi is also expected to attend a reception at the American Chamber of Commerce in Singapore. The media has been kept away from his programs due to tight security arrangements during his visit.
China feels that official US contact with Taiwan provokes it (Taiwan) against its decades-old policy, which it regards as a “real, independent and permanent territory”. However, US leaders say they do not support China’s view.
If Pelosi visits Taiwan, she will be the first elected American official in the highest office to visit Taiwan since Newt Gingrich, then Speaker of the House of Representatives in 1997.
The Biden administration has tried to reassure Beijing that if such a visit takes place, it would not signal a change in US policy.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian in Beijing reiterated earlier warnings on Monday, saying “if she insists on traveling, there will be dire consequences.”
“We are fully prepared to deal with any situation,” Lijian said. China will take strong and resolute steps to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
A parliament official said Pelosi will travel to Malaysia on Tuesday to meet with Azhar Azhar Azhar, the speaker of the lower house there.
The office of South Korean National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo said in a statement that Pelosi is expected to meet with Kim in Seoul on Thursday to discuss security, economic cooperation and the climate crisis in the Indo-Pacific region. But the US declined to give details about Pelosi’s itinerary.
In such a situation, it is not known when she will reach South Korea and how long she will stay there. Pelosi’s schedule for Wednesday is also clearly not known and there are no details on when she will be visiting Japan.
AP
Santosh Santosh Naresh
Naresh
