The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, began her Asian tour on Monday with a first stop in Singapore, maintaining the vagueness around a stopover in Taiwan which could further aggravate the already tense relations between Beijing and Washington.
In Singapore, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong called on her to work for “stable” relations with Beijing. A meeting with the president of the city-state is also planned.
Ms. Pelosi announced on Sunday that she was leading “a congressional delegation to the Indo-Pacific region to reaffirm America’s unwavering commitment to its allies and friends in the region”.
“In Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan, we will hold high-level meetings to discuss how we can promote our common values and interests,” she added, without mentioning Taiwan in his route.
For weeks, tensions between the United States and China have risen over reports that Ms Pelosi may be visiting the island of Taiwan, which China considers part of its territory.
Several Taiwanese and foreign media confirmed this visit on Monday, citing anonymous sources. According to FinancialTimesNancy Pelosi is expected to meet Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in Taipei on Wednesday.
“If the Speaker of the House of Representatives […] travels to Taiwan, China will definitely take firm and vigorous countermeasures to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Chinese foreign affairs spokesman Zhao Lijian again warned.
The Chinese military “will not sit idly by”, he stressed.
“Buried here”
On Monday, to support its message, the army published a video on the Internet with a martial tone, showing soldiers shouting that they are ready for combat, fighters taking off, paratroopers jumping from a plane or rain missiles that annihilate various targets.
“Any enemy who dares to invade us will be buried here”, specifies a very short text accompanying these images, which does not explicitly mention Taiwan or Nancy Pelosi.
Delegations of US officials travel to Taiwan frequently to express support. But a visit by Mrs. Pelosi, one of the highest figures in the American state, would be unprecedented since that of her predecessor Newt Gingrich in 1997.
The United States practices a so-called “strategic ambiguity” diplomacy with regard to Taiwan, consisting in recognizing only one Chinese government, that of Beijing, while continuing to provide decisive support to Taipei but refraining from saying whether or not they would militarily defend the island in the event of an invasion.
A visit to Taiwan by Ms. Pelosi, a central figure in President Joe Biden’s Democratic majority, would singularly complicate the task of American diplomacy, which is trying hard not to poison relations with China.
Last week, during a telephone interview with Joe Biden, Chinese President Xi Jinping called on the American side not to “play with fire”.
Opinions divided
On Monday, 4,000 American and Indonesian soldiers began a major military exercise, but Washington assured that these maneuvers were not aimed at any country.
The Taiwanese military for its part carried out its most important annual military exercises last week, which included simulations of intercepting Chinese attacks.
On Saturday, as a response, China organized a “live ammunition” military exercise in the Taiwan Strait – very close to the Chinese coast, however.
Washington has sought to downplay a possible visit by Ms. Pelosi and called on Chinese leaders for calm.
“We have many differences when it comes to Taiwan, but over the past 40 years we have managed those differences and done so in a way that has preserved peace and stability,” the Secretary of State said Friday. ‘American State, Antony Blinken.
In Taiwan, opinions are divided on the prospect of a visit by Ms Pelosi, but ruling party and opposition figures have said the island must not give in to Chinese pressure.
“If Pelosi were to cancel or postpone his trip, it would be a victory for the Chinese government and for Xi, as it would show that the pressure he exerted has achieved certain desired effects,” Hung Chin-fu told AFP. , from National Taiwan Cheng Kung University.