White House urges China to "calm down" over Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan

The White House urge China Not to escalate tensions with the United States in response to the expected visit of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi to Taiwanin a sign that the Biden administration is preparing for Beijing to respond.

“Something small, There is no reason for Beijing to make a possible visit Consistent with long-term US policy In some kind of crisis or conflict Or use it as a pretext to increase aggressive military activity, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said at a news conference on Monday.

Pelosi is expected to arrive in Taipei on Tuesday, according to people familiar with the matter, a historic visit that would make her the highest-ranking US official to set foot on the island in 25 years. China considers Taiwan as part of its territory s He promised “serious consequences” for Pelosi’s visit.

One person said a meeting with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen is on Pelosi’s agenda on Wednesday.

Kirby explained for the first time the possible actions that China could take In response to Pelosi’s trip to the autonomous island, including Missile launch in Taiwan StraitThe launch of the..the launch of the..the takeoff of the new military operationscrossing a No-fly zone between Taiwan and the mainland and the fabrication of “false” legal claims on the Strait.

“We will not take bait or participate in the rattling of swords,” Kirby declared. “At the same time, We will not be afraid. We will continue to operate in the seas and skies of the western Pacific Ocean as we have done for decades.”

Kirby’s comments refer to the broader public effort of Reducing tensions with China Since it was reported that Pelosi plans to visit Taiwan. He said Beijing engaged in “irresponsible rhetoric” before Pelosi’s visit and that the US government would ensure her safety if she visited Taiwan.

Kirb insisted on this point, repeating it at least three times, “There is simply no reason to escalate this.”

Pelosi’s office has yet to confirm the visit. Kirby said the White House will know when to land on the island because he flies a military plane.

under 1978 Agreement To normalize relations between China and the United States, Washington agreed to recognize only Beijing as the seat of the government of China and Taiwan as part of China. But The United States insisted that any reunification between the island and the mainland must be peaceful.and supplied Taiwan with advanced weaponry while remaining deliberately vague about whether U.S. forces would help defend against a Chinese attack.

Pelosi, which represents a San Francisco county where nearly a third of the population is of Asian descent, has long positioned itself as a China hawk. He opposed China’s entry into the World Trade Organization and, on a trip to Beijing in 1991, raised a banner in Tiananmen Square honoring pro-democracy protesters killed in a crackdown on the ruling Communist Party two years earlier.

President Joe Biden told Chinese President Xi Jinping in a phone call last week that ” Congress is an independent branch of government Kirby said House Speaker Pelosi makes her decisions.

Xi warned Biden during a discussion on Taiwan about this “He who plays with fire will burn”According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

The offshore renminbi fell as much as 0.6 percent on the day on reports of Pelosi’s trip, while non-deliverable Taiwan dollar futures pointed to weakness in the island’s currency.

Taiwan is a major global supplier of semiconductors.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian explained at a press conference on Monday that Pelosi’s standing (second in the ranking of presidential succession) made her trip very sensitive, and stressed that the military “will not stand idly by.”

Chinese media, including the Communist Party’s Global Times, have suggested that The People’s Liberation Army will respond forcefully to Pelosi’s trip, Maybe send fighter planes over the island.

Taiwan will then have to decide whether to bring it down, a move that could lead to a wider military conflict. China will have to consider the possibility of the United States and its allies being drawn into the region militarily.

Biden said in May that Washington would intervene to defend Taiwan against any attack by China, although the White House later clarified that it meant the United States would provide the weapons, in accordance with existing agreements.

Biden He also caused an uproar last month when he said the US military opposed Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, and revealed the administration’s concerns that the trip would stoke tensions with Taiwan.

Despite the risk of conflict, US lawmakers from both parties have expressed support for Pelosi’s trip, arguing that it is important that the congressional leader not succumb to pressure from Beijing.

“if we can Allow the Chinese to dictate who can visit Taiwan and who can’t“We have already ceded Taiwan to the Chinese,” said Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat who made his own trip to Taiwan in April.