"Pelosi, US House Speaker, to Visit Taiwan Next Month"... China Expected to Protest

Resumed After April Failure
Chinese Foreign Ministry: "China's Sovereignty and Territory Will Be Weakened"
Opposition to Taiwan Visit Also Arises Within US

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunji Kwon] Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, is reportedly planning to visit Taiwan next month. The Chinese government, which has been at odds with the U.S. over Taiwan, is expected to strongly oppose the visit.

On the 18th (local time), Bloomberg and other media outlets cited multiple sources reporting that Speaker Pelosi plans to visit Taiwan next month with a delegation. If Pelosi's visit to Taiwan takes place, it will be the second visit by a sitting U.S. House Speaker since Newt Gingrich in 1997. Pelosi had also planned to visit Taiwan in April but postponed the trip after testing positive for COVID-19.

In addition to Taiwan, Pelosi is also expected to visit Japan, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the headquarters of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii.

Following the news of Pelosi's planned visit to Taiwan, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed strong opposition. The ministry stated that the visit would "seriously undermine China's sovereignty and territorial integrity." Given China's ongoing tensions with the U.S. over Taiwan independence, it is inevitable that China would react sensitively to Pelosi's visit. The upcoming July 1st anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People's Liberation Army and the 20th Party Congress this fall, where President Xi Jinping is expected to secure a third term, are factors that amplify China's opposition.

Earlier in April, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi criticized Pelosi's planned visit as a "malicious provocation."

According to sources, the White House has also expressed concerns about Pelosi's trip to Taiwan. Therefore, the possibility of Pelosi's visit being canceled cannot be ruled out.

Boni Glaser, a Taiwan expert at the U.S. think tank German Marshall Fund (GMF), analyzed, "China has become extremely sensitive to the U.S. Congress, which in recent years has introduced anti-China legislation at an unprecedented level. Since Pelosi is a Democrat and from the same party as President Biden, her visit is interpreted by China as part of a strategy to use Taiwan as a card against China and to officially support Taiwan independence."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.