Tensions are high across the region as US House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi reached Taiwan and met president Tsai Ing-wen on Wednesday, with Chinese warplanes flying close to the median line of the sensitive Taiwan Strait.
“Today, our delegation… came to Taiwan to make unequivocally clear we will not abandon our commitment to Taiwan and we are proud of our enduring friendship,” Ms Pelosi said during her meeting with the Taiwanese president.
Meanwhile, the Taiwanese military has increased its alertness level as Chinese warships and aircraft “squeezed” the median line on Tuesday morning. The foreign ministry condemned Ms Pelosi’s trip as “playing with fire” and confirmed they will hold live fire exercises off the coast of Taiwan.
In an op-ed published in The Washington Post by Ms Pelosi, the speaker describes the visit as being “an unequivocal statement that America stands with Taiwan, our democratic partner, as it defends itself and its freedom”.
Ms Pelosi was also offered rare praise from GOP lawmakers for visiting in defiance of Chinese warnings.
The visit to Taiwan is the most senior by a US politician since then-House speaker Newt Gingrich went there in 1997.
