The Speaker of the US House of Representatives defies Beijing and arrives in Taipei in the first visit by a senior US official in 25 years

Nancy Pelosi lands in Taiwan despite China's warnings

photo_camera PHOTO/ARCHIVO - Shortly before Pelosi's plane landed, Taipei's tallest skyscraper, Taipei 101, was lit up with messages to Pelosi, including "Welcome to Taiwan", "Thank you to our democratic friend", "The friendship between the United States and Taiwan will always be strong" and "Let's protect the international order together"

The plane carrying US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi landed tonight at 22:43 local time (14:43 GMT) at Taipei's Songshan airport despite threats from China. It is the first visit by a Speaker of the US Congress to Taiwan since 1997, 25 years ago, when Republican Newt Gingrich visited the island of Formosa, which has led to escalating tensions between Washington and Beijing. 

Greeted on the tarmac by Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu and the staff of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), the de facto US embassy in Taipei, Pelosi arrived after a seven-hour trip that began in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur, dodging the South China Sea and flying over Indonesia and the Philippines. All eyes were on the SPAR19 aircraft on the Flightradar website. Expectation was at an all-time high. 

On Tuesday night, shortly before Pelosi's plane landed, Taipei's tallest skyscraper, Taipei 101, was lit up with messages to the top US official such as "Welcome to Taiwan", "Thank you to our democratic friend", "The US-Taiwan friendship will always be strong" and "Let's protect the international order together".

Pelosi Taiwán

For their part, the island's lawmakers expressed their welcome to the speaker of the US House of Representatives: "The visit will enhance Taiwan's faith in America's commitment to its security," said Lo Chih-cheng of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), quoted in local media. 

Pelosi is scheduled to visit Taiwan's Legislative Assembly on Wednesday and meet with President Tsai Ing-wen. She is also scheduled to attend a banquet at the Taipei Guest House and visit the National Human Rights Museum. 

Neither Washington nor the Taiwanese government had confirmed whether Pelosi's Asia tour would include a visit to the island of Formosa, a possibility advanced by US and Taiwanese media. In a statement issued minutes after her arrival, the Speaker said the visit was a sign of "America's unwavering commitment to support Taiwan's vibrant democracy"

The Speaker's schedule does not include a visit to Taiwan. It does include visits to Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan. Pelosi is joined by the chairmen of the Foreign Affairs and Veterans' Affairs committees, Gregory Meeks and Mark Takano, as well as three other members of the economic and defence committees. 

Shortly before Pelosi's arrival in Taiwan, Chinese state media reported the crossing of the Taiwan Strait by Chinese SU-35 military aircraft, but no further details have yet been released.

Pelosi Taiwán

Pelosi's visit goes against White House recommendations. "It's not a good idea right now," said President Joe Biden, who had a long telephone conversation with his counterpart Xi Jinping on the issue of the independence and sovereignty of the island that Beijing claims as its own under its "One China" programme. The Chinese leader called on the US "not to play with fire". 

Biden had said he would act to defend Taiwan in the event of a conflict, but White House officials have distanced themselves from that stance, saying a long-standing policy of "strategic ambiguity" over Taiwan's defence remains in place. 

On Tuesday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said it is "hard to imagine a more reckless and provocative action" by the United States than this visit, which the Chinese military recently warned it would not "stand idly by".  

China claims sovereignty over the island and has considered Taiwan a rebel province since the Kuomintang Nationalists retreated there in 1949 after losing the civil war against the Communists.

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