House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) kicked off a tour of Asia on Sunday, but made no mention of a possible visit to Taiwan.
Pelosi said early Sunday that she will lead a congressional delegation to Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan.
The six-member delegation is set to discuss peace, trade, climate, human rights, COVID-19 and “democratic governance,” Pelosi said.
President Biden said earlier this month that the US military “doesn’t think it’s a good idea right now” for Pelosi to visit Taiwan.
Beijing also warned that a trip to the island would “have a severe negative impact on the political foundation of China-US relations, and send a seriously wrong signal to Taiwanese separatist forces.”
The United States has remained ambiguous about its position on Taiwan, territory that China claims as part of its own, despite its self-governing status.
Under the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979, the United States is committed to assisting Taiwan in its self-defense against Beijing. If Pelosi visits Taiwan, she would be the highest-ranking US official to visit the island since 1997.
Pelosi said in Sunday’s statement that the Indo-Pacific region “is crucial to prosperity in our nation and around the world.”
The U.S. delegation is made up of House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Gregory Meeks (DN.Y.) and House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Mark Takano (D-Calif.), as well as like Democratic representatives Suzan DelBene (Washington), Raja Krishnamoorthi (Ill.) and Andy Kim (NJ).–
