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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s plan to visit Taiwan despite Chinese threats puts the U.S. at an increased risk of war with the Communist country known for protecting its perceived sovereignty, China experts warned.
When the Financial Times reported earlier in July that Pelosi’s trip to the Indo-Pacific region would include a stop in Taiwan, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which asserts Taiwan is under China’s control, warned such a visit by Pelosi would warrant its military taking “forceful measures” in response. Amid China’s threats, President Joe Biden told reporters July 20 that the U.S. military thought it was “not a good idea” for Pelosi to go through with making Taiwan a stop on her trip, which includes diplomatic events in South Korea, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore.
Hu Xijin, former editor-in-chief of the Global Times (a CCP-controlled publication), later fanned the flames by sending a now-deleted tweet suggesting the CCP should consider Pelosi’s trip an “invasion” if she is escorted by the U.S. military.
“If US fighter jets escort Pelosi’s plane into Taiwan, it is invasion,” tweeted Xijun. “The PLA (People’s Liberation Army) has the right to forcibly dispel Pelosi’s plane and the US fighter jets, including firing warning shots and making the tactical movement of obstruction. If ineffective, then shoot them down.”
Pelosi’s Sunday press release announcing the members and itinerary for the congressional delegation to the Indo-Pacific region did not include a stop in Taiwan. However, U.S. and Taiwanese officials confirmed Pelosi has plans to stop in Taipei overnight, CNN reported Monday.
Economist and Asia Times columnist David P. Goldman said in a tweet Monday that a former U.N. ambassador warned that if Pelosi traveled to Taiwan, China may view her trip as a violation of a 1972 U.S.-China diplomatic agreement, the Shanghai Communique, and respond accordingly.
During the Nixon administration, the U.S. forged ahead with easing tensions and improving diplomatic relations with China, including the U.S. agreeing to stay out of the dispute over Taiwan’s independence. Since the agreement, the U.S. has followed the “One China” policy in which the U.S. acknowledges there is only one Chinese government controlling several islands. The U.S., however, has continued to foster a “robust unofficial relationship” with Taiwan for decades, according to a Department of State fact sheet.
“Just so it’s clear,” Goldman tweeted. “Pelosi is Constitutionally 2nd in line to POTUS, so this is a state visit from the standpoint of diplomatic protocol. That, as a former US UN ambassador told me, is a clear violation of the ’72 Shanghai Communique.
