New Delhi: US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi departed Taiwan on Wednesday, a tour that fueled US-China rift. Pelosi’s visit, a first by the highest-ranking elected US official in more than 25 years, was viewed as an offence by Beijing as she is being seen as third in line for the presidency in the US after Joe Biden and vice-president Kamala Harris. Depsite several hostile threats by China before Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, the US House Speaker landed in Taipei on Tuesday night.
The US House Speaker is on a tour of four Asian nations — Singapore, Malayasia, South Korea, and Japan — while a visit to Taiwan, a territory which China says to be its own, was not included in her official schedule. Pelosi’s next stop is South Korea.
Here are major highlights of Nancy Pelosi’s Taiwan visit.
- During her meeting with Taiwanese President, Tsai Ing-wen, Pelosi said, “America has made a bedrock promise to always stand with Taiwan. On this strong foundation, we’ve a thriving partnership grounded in self-government and self-determination focused on mutual security in the region and world committed to economic prosperity.”
- Pelosi’s remark came after Ing-wen thanked Pelosi for her visit and said, “US Speaker Pelosi is truly one of Taiwan’s most devoted friends. We are grateful to you to make this visit to Taiwan to showcase the US Congress’ staunch support for Taiwan.”
- In a move to step up its warnings ahead of Pelosi’s visit, several videos surfaced online where Chinese military armours were visible around the border with Taiwan. After the delegation’s touchdown in Taipei, Beijing announced multiple military exercises around the island, parts of which will enter Taiwanese waters, and issued a series of harsh statements
- Amid the soaring tension US aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln on Wednesday took part in the RIMPAC-2022 (Rim of Pacific Exercise) close to the Hawaiian Islands near Taiwan.
- Reacting to China’s aggressive response to Pelosi’s visit with demonstrations of live fire, Ing-wen said, “Facing deliberately heightened military threats, Taiwan will not back down. We will… continue to hold the line of defence for democracy.”
- In order to register its protest, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng also summoned the U.S. ambassador in Beijing, Nicholas Burns.
- A contingent of 21 war planes was also flown by the China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) on Tuesday night, including fighter jets, towards Taiwan. Chinese state broadcaster CCTV published images of PLA drills and video Wednesday, although it was unclear where they were being conducted, as per an AP report.
- Taiwan decried Beijing’s planned action saying that they violated island’s sovereignty. Capt. Jian-chang Yu said at a briefing by the National Defense Ministry said, ““Such an act equals to sealing off Taiwan by air and sea, such an act covers our country’s territory and territorial waters, and severely violates our country’s territorial sovereignty.”
- Following Pelosi’s visit, China banned imports of various commodities from Taiwan on Wednesday including citrus fruits and fish.
- In an attempt to tone down the volume over Pelosi’s visit, the Biden administration insisted that there is no change is America’s long-standing ‘One China Policy’ which recognises Beijing but allows informal relations and defence ties with Taipei.