Pelosi lands in Taiwan, defying Chinese warnings of forceful response
Foreign Policy,Nancy Pelosi,Taiwan,World,China,US House,Democracy,Asia,Newt Gingrich
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) arrived in Taiwan late Tuesday, defying Chinese warnings against visiting the self-ruled island that Beijing claims as its territory and setting the stage for a sharp escalation in tensions between China and the United States.
Pelosi’s plane landed at Songshan airport in Taipei just before 11 p.m. local time. Wearing a face mask, she was greeted by Taiwan’s foreign minister, Joseph Wu, and staff from the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), the de facto U.S. embassy in Taipei.
Pelosi’s visit has enraged China, which for years has sought to diplomatically isolate the island and views such exchanges with high-level foreign dignitaries as support for Taiwanese independence.
