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Thirty-one years ago, a relatively new congresswoman from California surprised Chinese authorities when she unfurled a banner in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square dedicated to the pro-democracy student activists massacred there.
Now the House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, is poised to travel to Taiwan during a tour of Asia nations this week, once again defying Beijing at a moment of extraordinary tension between the US and China – but also creating a host of problems for Joe Biden.
The highly anticipated diplomatic mission caps a foreign policy career defined by what she views as a defense of human rights and democratic values abroad, a posture that has made her a target of criticism in Beijing and, at times, put her at odds with leaders of both parties in Washington.
A visit by the House speaker, second in the presidential line of succession, would make Pelosi the highest-ranking US official to visit the self-governing island in a quarter-century. China, which claims Taiwan as its own province, has threatened unspecified consequences for the US should Pelosi make the trip.
Pelosi has declined to confirm a visit, citing security concerns. But a stop in Taipei is now widely expected – probably on Tuesday – and has been confirmed to media outlets by officials in the US and Taiwan. The Financial Times reported that Pelosi had been scheduled to travel to Taiwan in April but tested positive for Covid and postponed it for August.
Asked recently about her interest in traveling to Taiwan, the 82-year-old lawmaker nodded to her own background representing San Francisco, where roughly one in three residents are of Asian descent.
“We have global responsibilities, whether it comes to three things, I always say: security, economy and governance,” she told reporters at her news conference last week. “This will be part of that.”
The sharp warnings from Beijing, implying that the visit could provoke a military response from China, have Washington on high alert. The US military has made preparations to protect Pelosi during the visit, while officials scramble to interpret Beijing’s saber-rattling.
There are also serious domestic risks, as Pelosi’s party faces a difficult re-election in November with her gavel in the balance and Biden desperate to generate positive headlines about his economic agenda – not foreign troubles.
Republicans are urging Pelosi to go, and ready to accuse Democrats of bowing to Beijing if she doesn’t.
