If US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi comes to Taiwan, she would likely arrive this evening or tomorrow morning after visiting Malaysia, a US analyst said yesterday.
According to the China Press, a Malaysian Chinese-language newspaper, she is to arrive in Kuala Lumpur today for her second stop.
Although the Malaysian government has not announced an official itinerary, the paper cited a person familiar with the plans as saying she would only stay for a few hours.
Photo: AFP / Singaporean Ministry of Communications and Information
Meanwhile, South Korean National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo’s office yesterday said he would meet with Pelosi on Thursday morning before holding a news conference and eating lunch together.
Based on Pelosi’s itinerary thus far, Josh Rogin, a political analyst for the Washington Post and CNN, on Twitter yesterday predicted that “the Taiwan stop would likely be after her Malaysia stop, meaning Tuesday night or Wednesday morning.”
Sources yesterday told the Chinese-language Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) yesterday that the time of Pelosi’s arrival in Taiwan would be close to what others have speculated.
Photo: Ann Wang, Reuters
Arrangements are being made, including a public appearance with a visit to the Legislative Yuan tomorrow, they said, adding she would also meet with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文).
However, given the sensitivity involved, plans would change according to situations, they added.
Meanwhile, local media quoted other sources as saying that Pelosi could possibly stay at the Grand Hyatt Taipei in Xinyi District (信義) or the Marriott Taipei in Zhongshan District (中山).
Asked about the potential visit, Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) did not confirm or deny the possibility, but said Taiwan welcomed all foreign guests and promised to make the best arrangements with respect to their itineraries.
Pelosi arrived in Singapore early yesterday for the first stop on her Asia tour.
Pelosi met with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (李顯龍), President Halimah Yacob and other Cabinet members, the Singaporean Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Lee welcomed a US commitment to strong engagement with the region and the two sides discussed ways to deepen US economic engagement through initiatives such as the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, the ministry said in a statement.
Lee and Pelosi also discussed the war in Ukraine, tensions surrounding Taiwan and China, and climate change, it said.
Lee “highlighted the importance of stable US-China relations for regional peace and security,” it added, in an apparent allusion to reports that Pelosi could visit Taiwan.
In Beijing, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Zhao Lijian (趙立堅) reiterated earlier warnings, saying “there will be serious consequences if she insists on making the visit.”
He did not spell out any specific consequences.
“We are fully prepared for any eventuality,” he said. “The People’s Liberation Army will never sit by idly. China will take strong and resolute measures to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Washington has tried to assure Beijing there is no reason to “come to blows” and that if such a visit occurred, it would signal no change in US policy.
SOLIDARITY: A group of European lawmakers condemned China’s aggressive moves, while the foreign minister of Lithuania said Taiwan ‘cannot become a second Ukraine’ A German parliamentary delegation would visit Taiwan in the first week of October, German lawmaker Holger Becker on Monday told visiting Democratic Progressive Party legislators Fan Yun (范雲) and Lin I-chin (林宜瑾) at the Bundestag in Berlin. Asked by Fan whether he is worried about possible reprisals from Beijing, such as banning him and his family from entering China, Becker said he is more interested in visiting Taiwan, as “now is the time for democracies to stand together.” Fan and Lin also met with German officials to exchange views on digital education and governance. Investing in digital infrastructure and protecting equal rights to
As China waged extensive military exercises off Taiwan, a group of US defense experts in Washington was focused on their own simulation of an eventual — but for now entirely hypothetical — US-China war over the nation. The unofficial what-if game is being conducted on the fifth floor of an office building not far from the White House, and it posits a US military response to a Chinese invasion in 2026. Even though the participants bring a US perspective, they are finding that a US-Taiwan victory, if there is one, could come at a huge cost. “The results are showing that under
‘SIMULATED ATTACKS’: Ten warships each from China and Taiwan were maneuvering at close quarters in the Taiwan Strait, with some Chinese vessels crossing the median line Taiwan yesterday reiterated that it would not succumb to pressure from Beijing after China carried out its most provocative military drills in decades in retaliation for US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan last week. “We will never bow to pressure. We uphold freedom and democracy, and believe Taiwanese disapprove [of] China’s bullying actions with force and saber rattling at our door,” Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said yesterday. China had “arrogantly” disrupted regional peace and stability, he said, calling on Beijing to not flex its military muscles. President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has also called on the international community to “support
DRILLS CONTINUE: China’s creation of a restricted zone across the median line of the Taiwan Strait challenges a 70-year-old fact, a ministry of defense official said The nation’s military fully complies with international rules and guidelines when responding to Chinese military drills, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday, vowing to continue defending Taiwan in accordance with international law. China on Thursday launched four days of military drills around Taiwan proper in response to US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei. The drills were expected to end on Sunday, but neither Beijing nor Taipei confirmed their conclusion, although the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said it had seen some evidence suggesting at least a partial drawdown. However, China yesterday said the drills would continue, saying “the
RSS