new York Never before has the Speaker of the US House of Representatives attracted so much international attention. Nancy Pelosi’s arrival in Taiwan was followed around the world on Tuesday evening. The aviation portal “Flightradar” alone reported a visitor record with 300,000 people who followed the course of Pelosi’s machine. The background is the political explosiveness of the trip.
Early Wednesday morning European time, the 82-year-old visited Taiwan’s parliament and had lunch with President Tsai Ing-wen. Taiwan is seen by China as part of the People’s Republic, the island state is not internationally recognized as independent. Nonetheless, in a joint press conference with Ing-wen, Pelosi sent signals of support for the sovereignty of the country off the Chinese coast.
The US will “always stand by Taiwan’s side,” the top politician said. The visit of the congress delegation to Taiwan shows “that we will not give up our commitments to Taiwan”.
Referring indirectly to Beijing’s communist leadership’s threats against Taiwan, Pelosi said, “More than ever, American solidarity is crucial.” That was the message of her congressional delegation’s visit. US support for Taiwan is bipartisan. “Today the world faces a choice between democracy and autocracy,” Pelosi said, praising Taiwan as “one of the freest societies in the world.”
Top jobs of the day
Find the best jobs now and
be notified by email.
Taiwan’s president said Russia’s invasion of Ukraine drew international attention to the conflict with China over Taiwan. The situation in the Taiwan Strait has implications for security in the Asia-Pacific region. “Taiwan will not back down,” Tsai said, noting the threat from China. “We will do whatever is necessary to strengthen our self-defense capabilities.” Pelosi will then meet with political activists, according to information from US media.
Pelosi defends trip ahead of time
In response, China’s military launched target practice maneuvers in six sea areas surrounding Taiwan. China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi has already slammed Pelosi’s trip, saying it seriously violates the one-China principle, maliciously violates China’s sovereignty and constitutes blatant political provocation Sino-US relationship and the “biggest destroyer” of cross-strait peace and regional stability.
China sees the appearance as a provocation.
(Photo: Getty Images)
The drills are considered the greatest military muscle flexing since the 1995 missile crisis, when China fired missiles over Taiwan to intimidate and the US deployed two aircraft carrier groups. The sea areas for the exercises go well beyond the restricted zones at the time, reach close to Taiwan and sometimes appear to be encroaching on its sovereign territories. Experts also expect that shipping routes could be affected.
Shortly after landing on Tuesday, Pelosi published a op-ed in the Washington Post justifying her controversial trip. “Our discussions with our partners in Taiwan will focus on reaffirming our support for the island and deepening our common interests,” Pelosi said. This includes strengthening a “free and open Indo-Pacific region”. “America’s solidarity with Taiwan is more important than ever,” clarified Pelosi, who has long been considered a harsh China critic and did not hold back on criticizing Beijing in her guest post.
>> Read also: “Taiwan’s freedoms must be respected” – Pelosi arrived in Taipei
Pelosi made headlines 30 years ago when she traveled to China with a delegation of lawmakers and unfurled a poster in Tiananmen Square to commemorate the victims of the pro-democracy movement. “Since then, horrific attitudes towards human rights and the rule of law have continued while President Xi Jinping remains in power,” writes Pelosi in the Washington Post.
With her trip, the democrat has already triggered clear criticism and unrest, both in China and at home in the United States. China reacted immediately after landing and announced maneuvers with target practice in six sea areas around the democratic island republic. According to state television, the Ministry of Defense in Beijing announced that the maneuvers should last this Tuesday and until Sunday. According to experts, this could be the most provocative action in decades.
China also partially suspended trade with the island. The Chinese Ministry of Commerce announced on Wednesday that exports of sand to Taiwan have been suspended. Imports of citrus fruit, frozen mackerel fillet and chilled hairtail fish from Taiwan will be banned from Aug. 3, China Customs said. It is not known how long the restrictions will apply. China is Taiwan’s largest trading partner.
China appoints ambassadors
The Foreign Ministry in Beijing spoke of a “very dangerous game with fire”. China will “take all necessary measures to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity.” On Wednesday night, the American Ambassador to China, Nicholas Burns, was summoned to Deputy Foreign Minister Xie Feng, the government in Beijing announced.
There has also been clear criticism of Pelosi’s trip in the USA: “Taiwan is not a playground for American politicians,” criticized Lyle Goldstein from the think tank Defense Priorities of Asia Engagement in a report by the financial services provider Bloomberg. “Humanity’s future may depend on a pragmatic relationship between the US and China — that statement is not an exaggeration.” Pelosi’s trip would unnecessarily jeopardize “stability in the region.”
US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby distanced himself from Pelosi’s statement that America supports an independent Taiwan at a press conference in the White House on Wednesday. As recently as Monday, he stressed that “America does not support an independent Taiwan.”
>> Also Read: Taiwan Crisis: How Japan and South Korea are fighting China’s supremacy
Economic reactions were also evident in the United States on Tuesday. The Chinese battery manufacturer Contemporary Amperex Technology has postponed its planned announcement about a battery factory in North America, as the financial services provider Bloomberg reported. The reason for this is Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, in which the group does not want to cause any additional tension. The group is the largest battery manufacturer for electric cars and wants to build a battery factory either in Mexico or in the USA to supply Tesla and Ford, among others.
The US is in a difficult economic situation. Taiwan is one of the 22 largest economies and is highly integrated with the global economy. A large part of the already scarce high-tech semiconductors come from the Taiwanese world market and technology leader Taiwan Semiconductor, better known as TSMC. At the same time, many US corporations, including large banks, are closely intertwined with China.
Markets reacted nervously to Pelosi’s visit on Tuesday. The leading index Dow Jones lost 1.2 percent. The broad-based S&P 500 was down 0.7 percent and the tech-heavy Nasdaq was down 0.2 percent.
More: The President of the US House of Representatives is the highest-ranking politician to visit Taiwan in 25 years. Beijing has repeatedly warned against the trip – and has already reacted.