US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived in Taiwan late yesterday on a trip she said demonstrates American solidarity with the Chinese-claimed self-ruled island, but China condemned this first such visit in 25 years as a threat to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
Pelosi and the rest of her delegation disembarked from a US Air Force transport plane at Songshan Airport in downtown Taipei after the nighttime landing on a flight from Malaysia to begin a visit that risks pushing US-Chinese relations to a new low.
They were greeted by Taiwan’s foreign minister, Joseph Wu, and Sandra Oudkirk, the top US representative in Taiwan.
With tensions already high, several Chinese warplanes flew close to the median line dividing the Taiwan Strait yesterday morning before leaving later in the day.
Several Chinese warships have also sailed near the unofficial dividing line since Monday and remained there, the source said.
Four US warships, including the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, were positioned in waters east of Taiwan on what the US Navy called routine deployments.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed strong condemnation of and firm opposition to the visit of Speaker Pelosi to Taiwan, considering it a serious violation of the “One-China” principle.
In a statement reported by state news agency Xinhua, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned that the visit has a severe impact on the political foundation of China-US relations, and gravely undermines peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, noting that China has made serious demarche and strong protest to the United States. Page 7
Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu poses for a group photo with Pelosi and other members of the delegation at Taipei Songshan Airport yesterday
