US' solidarity with Taiwan more important today than ever: Pelosi in Taiwan

Beijing, Aug 02: US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday said that the US' solidarity with the 23 million people of Taiwan is more important today than ever.

Shortly after Pelosi landed in Taipei on Tuesday, she reaffirmed her country's unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwan's democracy and said this trip in no way contradicts longstanding United States policy on the self-governed island. She said, "Our Congressional delegation's visit to Taiwan honors America's unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwan's vibrant Democracy."

"Our visit is part of our broader trip to the Indo-Pacific - including Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan - focused on mutual security, economic partnership and democratic governance. Our discussions with Taiwan leadership will focus on reaffirming our support for our partner and on promoting our shared interests, including advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific region. America's solidarity with the 23 million people of Taiwan is more important today than ever, as the world faces a choice between autocracy and democracy," the US House Speaker said in a statement.

Pelosi's plane landed in Taiwan amid a heightened security threat from China. Beijing has warned the US that it will "pay the price" if Pelosi visits Taiwan, which is the highest level of US visits in more than two decades.

She added, "Our visit is one of several Congressional delegations to Taiwan - and it in no way contradicts longstanding United States policy, guided by the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979, U.S.-China Joint Communiques and the Six Assurances. The United States continues to oppose unilateral efforts to change the status quo."

She reached Taiwan on SPAR19 flight which took off from Kuala Lumpur's Subang Airport at approximately 3.40 p.m., but headed east toward Borneo island, flying close to the Indonesian city of Manado before taking a turn north to the Philippines -- steering clear of the South China Sea, reported FlightRadar24.

According to flight-tracking website FlightRadar24, around 320,000 users were following every move of Pelosi's flight.

Beijing views Pelosi's visit as a provocation and has issued increasingly severe warnings that have not ruled out a military response. "What I can tell you is, the US will definitely have to bear responsibility and pay the price for harming China's sovereignty and security interests," foreign ministry spokesman Hua Chunying told a press briefing in Beijing adding that China will take "firm and powerful" measures in response.

"If the US misjudges or handles the situation across the Taiwan Strait incorrectly, it will have catastrophic consequences for the security, prosperity and order of the Taiwan region and the world at large," she said as quoted by The Strait Times.

Before the Pelosi trip, China's military said that it would conduct drills with live ammunition off its coast at one of the narrowest points of the Taiwan Strait. A Chinese Air Force spokesperson had said the country would send fighter jets around Taiwan as a demonstration of its ability to defend its sovereignty, without offering specifics on timing.

She was in Malaysia on Tuesday, the second stop in a tour that has sparked rage in Beijing after reports of a potential Taipei visit.

On the other hand, the White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby underscored that the decision on whether to visit Taiwan was ultimately Pelosi's. He noted that members of Congress have routinely visited the island over the years.

"Put simply, there is no reason for Beijing to turn a potential visit consistent with long-standing U.S. policy into some sort of crisis or use it as a pretext to increase aggressive military activity in or around the Taiwan Strait," Kirby said.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also urged China to "act responsibly" if Pelosi proceeds with the visit. "If the speaker does decide to visit, and China tries to create some kind of a crisis or otherwise escalate tensions, that would be entirely on Beijing," he told reporters at U.N. headquarters in New York.