US-China crisis over Nancy Pelosi's possible visit to Taiwan

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is expected to visit Taiwan on her Asia tour. She will do so, according to CNN, despite China' s threats against what the communist dictatorship considers interference by the U.S. government.

Senior Taiwanese government officials and a U.S. official have told CNN that this stop is planned for her trip, although it is not on the public itinerary that Pelosi herself has detailed in recent hours.

As reported by CNN, the unnamed Taiwanese official says Pelosi is expected to spend the night in Taiwan, without clarifying when exactly she would land in Taipei. For his part, the U.S. official quoted by the network adds that defense department officials are working to secure a plan to keep her safe.

The stop in Taiwan would come against the warnings of Biden Administration officials concerned about the possible Chinese response. The president himself said last month that the U.S. military opposed Pelosi's visit to Taiwan. Ultimate decision, however, rests with the Speaker of the House of Representatives herself.

China's threats ahead of Pelosi's visit

China has warned that its military "will not stand idly by" if Pelosi eventually visits Taiwan. The regime recalls that the Speaker of the House is the "number 3 official of the U.S. government," so a visit to Taiwan, an island that China claims as its own, "would provoke an atrocious political impact," they point out.

Pelosi began a tour of four Asian countries early Monday morning. The first stop was Singapore. Nancy Pelosi herself has narrated this stop without hinting at any intention of landing in Taipei.

While the Biden Administration discourages this visit, the House of Representatives defends the President's right to make a stop in Taiwan. Numerous congressmen, both Democrats and Republicans, have defended Pelosi's free movement beyond communist threats.