CNN: Pelosi will visit Taiwan despite Chinese threats

Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi will visit Taiwan as part of her trip to Asia. According to CNN, expected but still unconfirmed visit will take placedespite warnings from Biden administration officials concerned about China’s reaction to the official’s trip.

According to Taiwanese publications The Liberty Times and United Daily News, Pelosi is due to arrive at Songshan Airport in Taipei tomorrow at 22:30 local time (17:30 Moscow time). The official will spend the night at the Grand Hyatt, and in the morning she will visit the Taiwan Legislative Council, where she will meet with the island’s government, including Taiwan’s head Tsai Ing-wen.

The visit to the island – the first for a speaker of the US House of Representatives in 25 years – is not included in the official announcement of Pelosi’s trip. It is known for sure that the speaker will visit Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and Singapore. The Chinese edition of Global Times does not rule out that Pelosi’s plane will land at the Taiwan airport “under the pretext of a malfunction or refueling.”

A Taiwanese official told CNN that the speaker would arrive on the island in the evenings and stay there until the next day. The White House said the Department of Defense is working around the clock to monitor any movement of the Chinese military in the region and develop a plan to keep it safe.

Taiwan’s Liberty Times also wrote about the upcoming visit of the speaker of the Taiwan House of Representatives on Tuesday, citing sources familiar with the preparations for the visit.

Beijing said the Chinese army “will not sit idly by” if US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visits Taiwan. In response, the US began moving planes and aircraft carriers closer to the island.

Chinese diplomat Cao Wuyi quoted China’s Eastern Military Region Command as saying Beijing was “ready to bury any invading enemy.”

The Chinese Maritime Security Administration issued a navigational warning amid the aggravation of the situation, saying that military exercises will be held in part of the South China Sea from August 2 to 6. Vessels are prohibited from entering.