U.S. House speaker Nancy Pelosi claimed that she was not advised by the military to avoid Taiwan. This is despite concerns expressed Wednesday at a press conference by the Biden administration that her visit might cause trouble with China.
Pelosi’s August 2-3 visit to Taiwan upset China. They called it a threat of China’s sovereignty and launched a week-long People’s Liberation Army live firing exercises around Taiwan’s self-governing islands. As China escalated threats of military action, Joe Biden stated that the military thought Pelosi’s unconfirmed visit to Taiwan was “not a great idea”.
All I can tell you is how proud we are of our military. They prepared… in fact, I believe minimized the Chinese impact on our trip,” stated PELOSI. We don’t address questions regarding our travels prior to our trip. So in line with that, I won’t comment on any comment made by the President before our trip,” she said. The Pentagon said to the Daily Caller News Foundation that it has nothing to say on this matter, citing its long-standing practice of consulting U.S. officials when they are contemplating travel. China merely used Pelosi’s visit as a pretext for increasing its campaign to reunify Taiwan. They took great care of us. Pelosi referred to the U.S. and said that she doesn’t recall them telling her not to travel. military.
Behind the scenes, Pentagon and White House officials repeatedly communicated with Pelosi about the dangers of her trip, Politico reported in July. Pelosi at the time denied hearing anything of this nature from Biden.
The Pentagon sent a U.S. Navy battle team to the Philippine Sea, which includes Taiwan. This was in response to reports that it would offer surveillance, fighter jet and maritime forces. Although the Pentagon did not think China would harm Pelosi’s feelings, it was concerned that Pelosi’s visit might spark an even wider conflict between Taiwan and China. (RELATED: ‘A Warning To The Provocateurs’: China Won’t Help US With Drugs, Climate After Pelosi’s Taiwan Visit)
The military also said diplomatic “soft power” was important to “complement what they are doing in the region,” Democratic Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York added.
Pelosi described her visit as an affirmation that democracy is in Taiwan, and as a sign of U.S. support of the self-governing nation. However, the U.S. considers it part of China’s One China policy. It has also denied any support for independence.
I led a Congressional delegation that visited Taiwan in order to show the world that America is with Taiwan and those who are committed to democracy and human rights.
Watch this video about our historic trip to Taipei. pic.twitter.com/TON6zB3x4s
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) August 3, 2022
China’s aims to bring Taiwan fully under its control stretch back decades, rooted in what China claims are deep historical and cultural ties, but the People’s Republic of China has thus far pursued “peaceful reunification” and promised to allow Taiwan a measure of autonomy.
However, Wednesday’s official policy document by the PRC left out a clause that would have prohibited the use of force in order to unify Taiwan with mainland.
Pelosi did not respond immediately to DCNF’s comment request.
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