If she goes ahead with the trip, Pelosi would become the most senior U.S. official to visit Taiwan in decades.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will visit Taiwan as part of her ongoing tour of Asia, CNN reported on Monday, in a move that could spark major tensions with China which has already warned of “serious consequences” for what it views as meddling in its internal affairs.
In a speculative article, the Chinese state-run newspaper Global Times—known for its controversial takes—suggested that Pelosi’s delegation could use aircraft troubles as an “excuse” to carry out an emergency landing in Taiwan. The speculative write-up further notes that if Pelosi’s plane actually does develop issues, the Chinese Air Force has aircraft ready to redirect the delegation to land in the city of Sansha—located on one of the many disputed island chains in the South China Sea.
