The president of the United States House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, announced the itinerary of the tour of Asia that has just started without mentioning Taiwan among the possible stops: after the explicit Chinese threats for a possible visit to a territory claimed by Beijing, Pelosi she explained that the tour will take her through “Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan”, for “high-level meetings to discuss how to promote shared interests and values, including peace”. Tension with China has reached dangerous levels as witnessed by Beijing’s force exercises in Fujian province, just off the coast of the Taiwan Strait, very close to the ‘rebel’ island.
In this context, Nancy Pelosi’s possible visit would have historical value because it would be the first of a US House Speaker in Taiwan since 1997. Beijing has publicly warned that it would respond “vigorously and energetically” to a possible visit of Pelosi.