Pelosi to visit Taiwan despite China warning military action

Several Taiwan media outlets reported late on Monday that US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi will visit Taiwan on Tuesday and spend the night in Taipei though China has repeatedly warned that its military will take action if she does.

The Chinese Army "won't sit idly by" if Pelosi visited Taiwan, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said Monday during a regular press briefing in Beijing.

Despite China's threats over a possible Taiwan visit by Nancy Pelosi, "US military preparation" is still underway, Politico has reported.

The Liberty Times newspaper said Pelosi was scheduled to visit Taiwan's parliament on Wednesday morning before continuing her Asia trip.

The United Daily News, also citing unnamed sources, said "related officials" were told to receive Pelosi, who is set to arrive in the capital Taipei on Tuesday evening at the soonest and spend the night there.

Taiwan's foreign ministry said it has no comment on reports on Pelosi's travel plan and no further information to share with media.

It would be a landmark move by a US official and raise the risk of a military confrontation given China views Taiwan as its territory. Pelosi would become the first sitting speaker since Newt Gingrich to go to the democratically-ruled island in 25 years. The Liberty Times is one of Taiwan's pro-ruling party newspapers. 

Earlier on Monday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said it would be "a gross interference in China's internal affairs" if Pelosi visits Taiwan, and warned that it would lead to "very serious developments and consequences."

Nancy Pelosi might visit Taiwan during her Asia tour, according to a senior Taiwanese government official and a US official, despite warnings from Biden administration officials, who are worried about China's response to such a high-profile visit amid intense speculation that she may risk the wrath of Beijing by visiting Taiwan.

Pelosi left Taiwan out of the itinerary in a statement on Sunday announcing the Asia trip, which will also includes stops in Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi would be the most-senior US official to visit Taiwan since 1997.

US officials say China may be confusing Pelosi's visit with an official administration visit, since she and Biden are both Democrats. Administration officials are concerned that China doesn't separate Pelosi from Biden much, if at all.

Biden said last month that the US military opposed Pelosi visiting Taiwan, though since then has refused to elaborate on the warnings. The White House has said it is up to the House speaker where she travels, and that they have little say in her decision.

Many Democrats and Republicans in Congress said it was Pelosi's right to travel to Taiwan. Other members appeared to be more cautious about the diplomatically sensitive trip, reports CNN. 

The administration takes extra care for Pelosi's security when she travels overseas because she is in the presidential line of succession. Defense department officials are working around the clock on monitoring any Chinese movements in the region and securing a plan to keep her safe.

The Chinese embassy to the United States has objected to her expected trip, which was planned for April before Pelosi tested positive for Covid-19, urging members of Congress to tell the speaker not to make it.

Pelosi has long been a critic of the Chinese Communist Party. In recent years, she voiced support for the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.

Administration officials are concerned Pelosi's trip comes at a particularly tense moment, as President Xi Jinping is expected to seek an unprecedented third term at the upcoming Chinese Communist Party congress, increasing the political stakes.

The timing means Xi can't afford to look weak in response to what Beijing views as foreign interference in its affairs, reports Bloomberg. 

Pelosi is accompanied by five fellow House Democrats, including Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Gregory Meeks of New York.