Nancy Pelosi left Taiwan again. The Speaker of the US House of Representatives has concluded a short and unannounced visit to the island. She was there to show her support for the Taiwanese.
The situation in brief
- Taiwan is an autonomous island. Even with its own board.
- Most countries do not recognize the independence of Taiwan.
- This is because of China, which considers Taiwan a breakaway province.
- China regards Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan and the show of support as a grave insult.
Pelosi landed late Tuesday afternoon (Dutch time) and met Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen Wednesday morning. She then left the capital, Taipei, to continue her journey across the Indo-Pacific region. She will travel to South Korea and Japan in the coming days.
The chairman was with a delegation from the US Congress in Taiwan to show support for the island. “Today the world is faced with a choice between authoritarianism or democracy,” Pelosi said in a speech after meeting with Tsai Ing-wen.
It was the first time in 25 years that a high-ranking American politician had visited Taiwan. Pelosi is an outspoken critic of the Chinese regime and has wanted to visit Taiwan before.
She said Taiwan enjoys the support of the United States. Pelosi stressed that Democrats and Republicans in the United States support the independence of Taiwan.
Pelosi leaves China in a state of anger
However, Pelosi has been criticized for her timing. Tensions between the United States and China were already escalating and the visit to Taiwan sparked anger at China.
China announced military exercises in the area shortly after Pelosi’s landing in Taipei. The state often tries to persuade Taiwan to display military might. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, fears of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan grew.
