Pelosi Says U.S. Will Not Abandon Taiwan As China Protests
TAIPEI, Taiwan. As US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi left Taiwan after a trip that sparked tensions with China, she said on Wednesday that she and other members of her congressional delegation had shown they would not abandon their commitment to the self-ruled island.
Pelosi, the first US speaker to visit the island in more than 25 years, sparked outrage in Beijing over the trip and sparked more than a week of debate over whether it was a good idea after it was announced. In Taipei, he was quiet but unassuming.
"Now the world must choose between democracy and dictatorship," Tsai said in a brief speech during a meeting with Taiwan President Ing-wen. "The United States' determination to defend democracy in Taiwan and around the world remains unwavering."
Pelosi arrived at a military base in South Korea on Wednesday afternoon before meeting with political leaders in Seoul and will then travel to Japan. The two countries are allied partners of the United States and jointly deploy about 80,000 US troops as a countermeasure to North Korea's nuclear ambitions and China's growing assertiveness in the South China and East China Seas.
China, which regards Taiwan as its territory and opposes the interference of Taiwanese officials in the affairs of foreign governments, has announced that it will hold a series of military exercises around the island, some of which will enter Taiwanese waters, and made some harsh statements after the delegation landed. The capital of Taiwan. , in Taipei, Tuesday evening.
Taiwan condemned the planned actions, saying it violated the island's sovereignty.
"Such a move is to block Taiwan by air and sea, which extends to our country's territory and territorial waters and seriously violates our country's territorial sovereignty," Captain Jian-chang Yu said during a speech at the Ministry of National Defense. .
China's live-fire military exercise begins on Thursday and will be the largest in Taiwan since 1995, when China fired missiles in large-scale exercises to express displeasure during a visit by then-Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui. USA
Taiwan President Tsai Tsai reacted strongly to Beijing's military panic.
"Taiwan will not back down in the face of deliberately increased military threats," Tsai said during a meeting with Pelosi. "We will firmly hold on to the sovereignty of our country and support the line of defense of democracy."
In Washington, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Wednesday that the United States expects more military exercises and other actions from China in the coming days as the country's military "flexes its muscles."
However, "We don't believe we're in danger right now, and there's certainly no reason for anyone to talk about any danger in the future," Kirby told ABC's Good Morning America.
China's official news agency Xinhua announced the military operation on Tuesday evening, revealing a map showing six distinct zones surrounding Taiwan. Arthur Zhen-Shen Wang, a defense research expert at Taiwan's Central Police University, said the three areas violate Taiwan's territorial waters, meaning 12 nautical miles (22 km) from the coast.
According to Wang, the use of direct fire in the country's airspace or territorial waters is dangerous, "according to the rules of international cooperation, it can be considered an act of war."
Because of her high profile as House leader, Pelosi's visit raised tensions between the US and China more than any other member of Congress. In 1997, Newt Gingrich became the first Speaker of the House of Representatives to visit Taiwan in 25 years. However, other members of Congress have also visited Taiwan in the past year.
After thanking Pelosi for her many years of support in Taiwan, Tsai presented the speaker with a civilian award, the Order of Your Cloud.
China's response has been high and has come from several fronts: diplomatic, economic and military.
Shortly after Pelosi landed on Tuesday evening, China announced that live fire would begin that night, as well as a four-day exercise starting Thursday.
China's People's Liberation Army Air Force sent a group of 21 fighter jets to Taiwan on Tuesday evening. That same night, China's Vice Foreign Minister Ji Feng summoned US Ambassador Nicholas Burns to Beijing to report on the country's protests.
On Wednesday, China banned the import of some goods from Taiwan, including citrus fruits and fish.
On Wednesday, China's state-run CCTV released footage of the PLA exercise, although it was unclear where it was taking place. On Wednesday night, China deployed 27 more warplanes against Taiwan.
CCTV also said a Taiwanese national was arrested on charges of inciting separatism. CCTV footage shows Yang Zhiyuan, originally from Taichung, surrounded by police. According to local media reports, Yang has run for the New Taipei City Legislature.
Pelosi responded to Beijing's threat Wednesday morning, saying that while China has blocked Taiwan from participating in some international meetings, "they understand that they will not stop people from coming to Taiwan as a sign of friendship and support."
He expressed bipartisan support for Taiwan in Congress and praised the island's democracy. He stopped short of saying the US would defend Taiwan militarily, stressing that Congress is "committed to protecting Taiwan so that it can defend Taiwan more effectively."
As he returned to a trip to Beijing's Tiananmen Square in 1991, two years after the bloody military coup, when he and other lawmakers unfurled a small banner in defense of democracy, his vision was always the same. The focus of the visit was human rights and what he called the dangerous transfer of technology from "rogue states".
Pelosi visited the Taipei Human Rights Museum, detailing the island's martial law history and meeting with Taiwan's most prominent human rights activists, including Lam Wing, a former bookseller who was expelled from Hong Kong and imprisoned by Chinese authorities. - how
Pelosi, who led the tour with five other members of Congress, also met with Taiwanese lawmakers.
"Madam President's visit to Taiwan fearlessly defends human rights and upholds the values of democracy and freedom," Tsai Chi-chan, vice president of Taiwan's Legislative Assembly, said in her acceptance speech.
US President Joe Biden's administration tried to downplay the visit, insisting there was no change in America's "long-standing one-China policy", which recognizes Beijing but allows unofficial and defense ties to Taipei.
Pelosi said her delegation had "grown" to include House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Gregory Meeks and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Krishnamurthy. The delegation also includes representatives Andy Kim and Mark Takano.
He also cited Rep. Susan DelBen, who he said is pushing a $280 billion bill to boost U.S. semiconductor manufacturing and research, an industry dominated by Taiwan and vital to modern electronics.
Pelosi's tour of Asia included stops in Singapore and Malaysia.
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