Pelosi arrives in Singapore at the start of her Asia tour

She is scheduled to eventually visit Taiwan, according to CNN sources

Washington says it has no reason to feel “intimidated” by Beijing over Pelosi’s possible visit to Taiwan

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived Monday in Singapore at the start of her Asia tour, which will also take her to countries such as Malaysia, South Korea and Japan and which has raised controversy over the possibility of her visiting Taiwan.

Pelosi has arrived in Singaporean territory along with a U.S. delegation that plans to meet with the president, Halima Yacob, and the prime minister, Lee Hsien Loong, as well as several Cabinet ministers, as reported by a Foreign Ministry spokesman.

Pelosi’s office has confirmed that her parliamentary delegation consists of six members of the U.S. Congress and that the purpose of her visit is to address the situation in the Indo-Pacific region.

“The visit seeks to reaffirm America’s commitment to its allies and friends in the area. In Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan, our delegation will hold high-level meetings and address mutual interests and values, such as peace and security, the economy, trade, Human Rights and the coronavirus pandemic,” he said in a statement.

In this sense, Pelosi has asserted that the President, Joe Biden, has reaffirmed that “a free Indo-Pacific region is crucial for the prosperity of the nation and the entire world”.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives is the third most important figure in the United States behind the President and the Vice President. The Singaporean leader already traveled to Washington in May, where he met with Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, in addition to Pelosi herself and other members of Congress.

For his part, Lee stressed the importance of achieving stable relations between China and the United States during his meeting with Pelosi and reaffirmed the “multifaceted relationship that Singapore and the United States share, with great cooperation in security, defense and economics.”

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“I applaud the delegation’s commitment to the region,” he said before stressing the importance of strengthening economic engagement between the parties” and addressing issues of international relevance “such as the war in Ukraine and climate change.”

VISIT TO TAIWAN

This same Monday, sources close to the matter have indicated in statements to CNN television network that Pelosi is scheduled to visit Taiwan as part of her tour, something that will increase the tension with China, which considers the island another province under its sovereignty.

The Taiwanese news portal SET News has also reported, citing diplomatic sources, that Pelosi will arrive in Taiwan on Tuesday night. According to this source, Pelosi would meet with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing Wen as early as Wednesday.

The Taiwanese newspaper ‘Liberty Times’ even publishes that Pelosi’s delegation has already booked a hotel, two in particular, the Grand Hyatt Hotel and the Marriott Hotel. According to this media, which cites sources familiar with the trip, Pelosi will not only meet with the President of Taiwan, but will also visit the Taiwanese unicameral Parliament.

However, for the moment Pelosi has not confirmed these reports, although the Chinese state newspaper ‘Global Times’ has indicated that her visit could be justified as “a technical stop” to refuel or reinforce the security of the aircraft.

Meanwhile, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Zhao Lijian, has warned that Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan would amount to “absolute interference in China’s internal affairs,” since Beijing considers Taiwan to be a rebel province over which it has full sovereignty despite the fact that it has been ‘de facto’ independent since 1949.

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Pelosi’s visit to Taipei “would be very damaging to China-U.S. relations” and would have a “tremendous political impact,” according to Zhao. He has also stressed that the Chinese Armed Forces would “never stand idly by” and would take “strong and forceful measures to safeguard our sovereignty.” China conducted live-fire maneuvers in the Taiwan Strait on Saturday.

Chinese President Xi Jinping himself warned U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday that “those who play with fire will die by fire.” The visit, which would be the first by a House Speaker in 25 years, is not on Pelosi’s schedule or public itinerary.

However, despite the constant warnings issued from Beijing, White House National Security spokesman John Kirby has noted that Washington need not feel “intimidated.”

As Kirby acknowledged to CNN, Pelosi’s hypothetical visit to the island “is not out of the ordinary”, so the United States “should not be intimidated by that (China’s) rhetoric or those potential actions.”

“There is no reason for Chinese rhetoric (…). There is no reason to take any action, it is not unusual for congressional leaders to travel to Taiwan,” remarked the U.S. official, who believes that a trip to Taiwan would be “very much in line” with Washington’s policy and U.S. “support” for the island.

“This is an important trip for the speaker (of the House of Representatives) and we will do everything we can to help her,” Kirby added, thus alluding that from the White House they have “made sure” that if Pelosi finally lands on the island, “she can do it safely.”

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