‘We will not allow China to isolate Taiwan’: Nancy Pelosi again defends her Taiwan trip
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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that the U.S.’s unofficial relationship with Taiwan remained unchanged after her visit but the U.S. would not allow China to ‘isolate’ the island nation.
‘We will not allow China to isolate Taiwan,’ Pelosi said at a news conference, flanked by members of the congressional delegation she brought with her. ‘They’re not keeping us from going to Taiwan …That was our purpose, to salute this thriving democracy.’
Pelosi defended the trip that has provoked Chinese ire and a slew of threats and military drills: ‘Our purpose in going to Taiwan was to say that we have this strong relationship built on the status quo, which we support.’
‘They say we’re trying to upset – no, the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979 … established the terms of our relationship.’
‘There’s no departure from that,’ she added.
The Taiwan Relations Act began the U.S.’s policy of strategic ambiguity, establishing an unofficial diplomatic and economic pathway between the U.S. and Taiwan. It acknowledged China’s ‘One China principle’ but neither supported nor criticized it. The U.S. has not publicly said whether it would come to Taiwan’s aid if China invaded, but has urged the PRC against doing so.
Pelosi also told reporters that she doesn’t ‘remember’ the military telling her not to go to Taiwan. Ahead of the trip, Biden told reporters ‘The military thinks it’s not a good idea.’
‘We are very proud of our military. Their preparation actually, I think, minimized the impact of the Chinese on our trip. So they took very good care of us,’ Pelosi said.
Asked if Biden was too cautious on Taiwan, Pelosi declined to comment.
‘We follow the lead of the president,’ on a strong Asia-Pacific initiative, Pelosi said. ‘It was a remarkable trip.’
Pelosi’s delegation also made stops in Singapore, Malaysia, Japan and South Korea.
Pelosi defended the trip that has provoked Chinese ire and a slew of threats and military drills: ‘Our purpose in going to Taiwan was to say that we have this strong relationship built on the status quo, which we support’
The speaker confirmed that her son, Paul Pelosi Jr., joined the trip with her. ‘His role was to be my escort,’ she said. Asked if he had any ‘business dealings’ throughout the trip, the speaker said, ‘No he did not. Of course he did not.’
Paul is on the board of two lithium mining companies – St. George’s Eco-Mining and Altair International Corp. Asian nations produce around 75 percent of the world’s lithium batteries.
Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said 250,000 people were lined up to greet the American lawmakers when they landed in Taipei.
‘They want to know that we are there, they want to see our soft power,’ he said.
The New York Democrat blamed provocations squarely on China.
‘It’s not us that wants to change the status quo, you see that coming from Beijing.’
Another member who joined the trip said the U.S. would not be controlled by China’s threats.
“If the cost of avoiding these types of provocative measures is to cede control of Taiwan to the People’s Republic of China, or to cede control of our travel schedules in Congress to the People’s Republic of China, that is not a price we are going to pay,” said Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.).
Meanwhile the Biden administration has vowed to continue sailing warships through the Taiwan Strait and conducting air operations in the region in response to ramped-up Chinese military drills after Pelosi’s visit, according to a New York Times report.
American and Taiwanese officials worry that China will use the trip as an excuse to bully Taiwan for months or years to come. They worry it could possibly speed up the timetable of a full-scale Chinese invasion and takeover, just as China took over Hong Kong.
China on Tuesday ended a week-long series of live-fire drills around Taiwan but signaled it intended to continue regular patrols of the disputed waters between the two countries.
Pelosi, center, walks with Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu, left, as she arrives in Taipei, Taiwan, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2022
The army of the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducts long-range live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait, Aug. 4, 2022
Eastern Theater Command of China’s army released this image on Aug. 9 of fighter jets during a military drill
A Kang Ding-class frigate Di Hua of Taiwan Navy leaves a port for monitoring a Navy Force vessel of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), at an undisclosed location in Taiwan August 8, 2022
Taiwanese officials have claimed China sent 17 fighter jets across the median line in the Taiwan Strait. Both sides have understood for decades that crossing the median line would mean serious escalation.
Meanwhile Taiwan launched its own anti-invasion drills this week.
‘In the face of military intimidation created by China, Taiwan will not be afraid nor back down, and will more firmly defend its sovereignty, national security, and free and democratic way of life,’ Taiwan’s foreign ministry said in a statement Wednesday, according to Reuters.