Taiwan not on Nancy Pelosi's Asia itinerary

The office of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a statement on Sunday highlighting countries and places that would be visited during a congressional delegation's trip to the Indo-Pacific region, with there being no mention of Taiwan on the itinerary. 

"Speaker Nancy Pelosi is leading a Congressional delegation to the Indo-Pacific region, including visits to Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan," her office said in a press release.

The statement went on to say: "The trip will focus on mutual security, economic partnership and democratic governance in the Indo-Pacific region."

The all-Democrat delegation includes Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Gregory Meeks and members of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Armed Services Committee.

China's air force vows to 'safeguard' territory

On Sunday, spokesman for China's air force, Shen Jinke, was quoted by state media as saying that Beijing "will resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity."

Jinke also said the air force had a a number of fighter aircraft capable of circling "the precious island of our motherland," a reference to Taiwan. 

There has been intense speculation in the build-up to the delegation's visit to the region, with China's President Xi Jinping warning US President Joe Biden this week that "those who play with fire will only get burnt."

Analyst tells DW: Taiwan 'stopover' not out of the question

Amanda Hsiao, senior China analyst with global think tank the International Crisis Group, told DW that while Pelosi's trip may not be mentioned on the official itinerary, a stopover in Taiwan cannot be discounted.

"I think it’s still unclear whether Pelosi would visit Taiwan or not, even though the official statement didn’t mention Taiwan. It might be a way to reduce the officialness and the significance of the trip by leaving Taiwan out of the statement. It might be that they haven't made a decision yet. She could still stopover," Hsiao said 

Hsiao believes that under the current climate of tension between the US and China, a visit from Pelosi could result in some form of military response from Beijing.

"I think the Chinese will militarily respond if Pelosi visits Taiwan. It could be a series of military exercises close to Taiwan or it could be sending military aircraft across the median line of the Taiwan Strait at a larger scale. There is a number of options that China can take for showing how much they object to the possible trip." 

Why Taiwan is such a sensitive issue for US-China relations

China views Taiwan as part of its territory and has vowed to reunite the democratically governed island with the mainland, even if it means using force. 

In light of Russia's recent invasion of Ukraine, concerns that China would turn that threat into reality are rising. 

Beijing has warned of "serious repercussions" should Pelosi visit Taiwan, as this would be a dramatic symbol of support for the island and the first time a US House of Representatives speaker has traveled there in 25 years. 

Pelosi is known to be a longtime critic of China and has condemned human rights violations in the country. 

Washington follows a "one China" policy and recognizes Beijing instead of Taipei diplomatically, meaning that Taiwan does not have any official relations with the United States.

However, the US provides considerable political and military support to Taiwan while stopping short of formal diplomatic relations.

kb (Reuters, AFP)