The White House clarified this Monday that Nancy Pelosi, president of the House of Representatives, “has the right” to travel to Taiwan if she so decides, a statement that comes in the midst of the Democrat’s controversial Asian tour.
The Communications Coordinator of the National Security Council, John Kirby, declared during a press conference on Monday that Pelosi has not said if she will travel to the island of Taiwan.
“We have made it very clear from the beginning that she will make her own decisions and that Congress is an independent branch of the Executive. Our Constitution contemplates the separation of powers”, Kirby pointed out.
The Chinese government has made it clear that it perceives Pelosi’s trip as a threat. Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian warned that the nation will “firmly respond” to what it considers a “provocation”, and that the United States will have to bear “all the consequences” of the trip.
“There is no reason for Beijing to turn a possible visit, consistent with long-standing US policy, into a kind of crisis or serve as an excuse to increase aggressive military activity around the Taiwan Strait,” Kirby added, recalling that in the past other presidents of Congress have visited the island, which is a de facto independent country, considered by China as a “rebellious province”.
The spokesman assured that the US position has not changing with respect to Taiwan, and opposes any unilateral change of the “status quo” both on the part of the island and on the part of China.
“It seems that China is positioning itself to potentially take more steps in the coming days, and perhaps in a longer time horizon length. These potential steps by China could include military provocations, such as firing missiles into and around the Taiwan Strait,” Kirby said.
Taiwan-related tensions between the US and China were last felt in the 1990s, so Kirby noted that an escalation in tensions it serves no one.
“Beijing’s actions could have unintended consequences that only serve to heighten tension. Meanwhile, our actions are not threatening (…) certainly, there is no reason for this to come to blows”, Kirby sentenced, warning that the US “will not be intimidated”.
With information from DW