1659282680 Pelosi leaves US to tour Asia without mentioning stop in

Pelosi leaves US to tour Asia without mentioning stop in Taiwan

Pelosi leaves US to tour Asia without mentioning stop in

“Our entourage will hold high-level meetings to discuss our common interests and values, peace and security.” Photo: Latin Press

The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi embarked on a tour of four Asian countries without mentioning Taiwan in the official itinerary.

The Speaker of Parliament is leading a delegation from the North American Congress, which this Sunday began a tour of Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan, according to the published program.

“Our entourage will hold high-level meetings to discuss our common interests and values, peace and security, economic growth and trade, Covid-19, the climate crisis, human rights and democratic governance,” Pelosi said in a statement.

Tensions between the United States and China have been escalating for several weeks over the possibility of the democratic leader visiting Taiwan, a move that would put Beijing in jeopardy of its red line and promised “tough countermeasures” if materialized.

Zhao Lijian, a spokesman for China’s foreign ministry, stressed that if the trip goes through, Washington must shoulder responsibility for all the consequences.

The spokesman was reacting to the plans of the The US Army will redouble its operations, deployment of personnel, war equipment and vehicle presence in the Asia-Pacific region amid fears of a possible Chinese attack on Pelosi’s plane.

Last Thursday, US President Joe Biden spoke to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on the phone amid the tensions.

In a statement, the White House said during the nearly two-and-a-half hour dialogue, Washington reiterated that “it firmly opposes unilateral efforts to change the status quo in Taiwan or to undermine peace and stability.”

For his part, Xi warned the US president against “playing with fire” for the island, which is considered a historic part of the Asian giant.

In May, the US leader said his country would defend Taiwan in the event of an “invasion” of Beijing, though the White House was quick to correct those statements.

The United States has supported the “One China” principle since 1979, and although it does not officially recognize Taiwan, it does provide it with military support.

(With information from Prensa Latina)