International News: U.S. House Speaker arrives in Taiwan amidst tensions with China

By Zoila Palma Gonzalez: Today, U.S. House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi arrived in Taiwan marking the first visit of a high-ranking U.S. official in 25 years, Reuters report.

Pelosi was welcomed to the island by Taiwan’s Foreign Minister, Joseph Wu, and Sandra Oudkirk, the top U.S. representative in Taiwan.

“Our congressional delegation’s visit to Taiwan honors America’s unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwan’s vibrant democracy,” Pelosi said in a statement shortly after landing.

“America’s solidarity with the 23 million people of Taiwan is more important today than ever, as the world faces a choice between autocracy and democracy,” she added.

China responded by condemning the visit saying that it damages peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

“has a severe impact on the political foundation of China-U.S. relations, and seriously infringes upon China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the Chinese foreign ministry noted.

In addition, Chinese warplanes were along the line dividing the Taiwan strait just before Pelosi’s arrival.

The House Speaker’s tour includes visits to Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, and Japan. Her stop in Taiwan had not been announced but had been widely anticipated.

Shortly after landing, Pelosi praised Taiwan’s commitment to the democratic government while criticizing China as having dramatically increased tensions with Taiwan in recent years.

“We cannot stand by as the CCP proceeds to threaten Taiwan – and democracy itself,” Pelosi stated referring to the Chinese Communist Party.

On Tuesday night (in Taiwan), Taiwan’s tallest building, Taipei 101, lit up with messages including: “Welcome to Taiwan”, “Speaker Pelosi”, “Taiwan (heart) the USA”.

But, Beijing had told the Biden administration to abide by the one-China principle saying that “whoever plays with fire will get burnt”. Under this policy, Washington does not recognize Taipei diplomatically.

However, the U.S.  is bound by American law to provide the island with the means to defend itself.

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