US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is expected to visit Taiwan as part of her tour of Asia, according to a senior Taiwanese government official and a US official, despite warnings from Biden administration officials, who are worried about China's response to such a high-profile visit,
CNN reports.
The stop -- the first for a US House speaker in 25 years -- is not currently on Pelosi's public itinerary and comes at a time when US-China relations are already at a low point.
The Taiwanese official added that she is expected to stay in Taiwan overnight. It is unclear when exactly Pelosi will land in Taipei.
The US official added that Defense Department officials are working around the clock on monitoring any Chinese movements in the region and securing a plan to keep her safe.
Pelosi arrived in Singapore on Monday for the first official stop of the Asia tour, where she met with the country's president, prime minister and other top officials.
On Tuesday, Malaysia's state media Bernama confirmed that Pelosi and a congressional delegation had arrived in the country and were scheduled to meet with the prime minister and parliament speaker.
The delegation's itinerary includes stops in South Korea and Japan, but no official mention has been made of a visit to Taiwan.
During a regular foreign ministry briefing Monday, China warned against the "egregious political impact" of Pelosi's planned visit to the self-governing island that China claims as a part of its territory and reiterated that its military "won't sit by idly" if Beijing feels its "sovereignty and territorial integrity" is being threatened.
"We would like to tell the US once again that China is standing by, and the Chinese People's Liberation Army will never sit idly by. China will take resolute responses and strong countermeasures to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity," Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters, when asked about the fallout from Pelosi leading a congressional delegation to Taipei.
"As for what measures, if she dares to go, then let's wait and see," Zhao added.
Though China's military did not mention Taiwan, the People's Liberation Army's Eastern Theater Command said it would "bury incoming enemies" in a video posted online Monday showing off its weaponry and fighting tactics. "Firmly stand by and ready for the fighting command; Bury all incoming enemies," a message posted on Weibo said.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated the administration's line that it is Pelosi's decision whether she visits, adding, "we do not know what Speaker Pelosi intends to do."
"Congress is an independent, coequal branch of government," Blinken said at the United Nations on Monday afternoon. "The decision is entirely the Speaker's."
Blinken said that such a visit has precedent, noting past speakers and members of Congress have visited Taiwan.
"And so if the speaker does decide to visit and China tries to create some kind of crisis or otherwise escalate tensions, that would be entirely on Beijing," Blinken said. "We are looking for them, in the event she decides to visit, to act responsibly and not to engage in in any escalation going forward."
National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications John Kirby earlier on Monday that the Biden administration will support Pelosi on a trip to Taiwan.
"We want to make sure that when she travels overseas, she can do so safely and securely and we're going to make sure of that. There is no reason for the Chinese rhetoric. There is no reason for any actions to be taken. It is not uncommon for congressional leaders to travel to Taiwan," Kirby told CNN's Brianna Keilar on "New Day."
"We shouldn't be as a country -- we shouldn't be intimidated by that rhetoric or those potential actions. This is an important trip for the speaker to be on and we're going to do whatever we can to support her," Kirby continued.
Asked if the US was prepared for fallout with China over the visit, Kirby said that "there is no change to our policy. No change to our focus on trying to keep a free and safe and open Indo-Pacific."
