US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, meeting leaders in Taiwan despite warnings from China, said Wednesday that she and other members of Congress in a visiting delegation are showing they will not abandon their commitment to the self-governing island.
“Today the world faces a choice between democracy and autocracy,” she said in a short speech during a meeting with Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen. “America’s determination to preserve democracy, here in Taiwan and around the world, remains ironclad.”
Pelosi said the US congressional delegation's visit to the self-ruled democratic island was a "show of friendship and support," but also a source of learning and collaboration, after referencing previous trips made by US legislators.
Pelosi reiterated the US' support for Taiwan, again saying they had come to send an "unequivocal message — America stands with Taiwan."
"We have to show the world, and that is one of the purposes of our trip, to show the world the success of the people of Taiwan," Pelosi said, pointing to the courage of the Taiwanese people to uphold democracy.
"We want Taiwan to always have freedom with security, and we're not backing away from that," Pelosi said.
China, which claims Taiwan as its territory and opposes any engagement by Taiwanese officials with foreign governments, announced multiple military exercises around the island and issued a series of harsh statements after the delegation touched down in the Taiwanese capital, Taipei, on Tuesday night.
Pelosi’s trip has heightened US-China tensions more than visits by other members of Congress because of her high-level position as leader of the House of Representatives. She is the first speaker of the house to come to Taiwan in 25 years, since Newt Gingrich in 1997.
Taiwan expresses thanks
Taiwanese President President Tsai Ing-wen, thanking Pelosi for her decades of support for Taiwan, presented the speaker with a civilian honor, the Order of the Propitious Clouds. She was more pointed about Chinese threats in her remarks than Pelosi was.
“Facing deliberately heightened military threats, Taiwan will not back down,” Tsai said. “We will firmly uphold our nation’s sovereignty and continue to hold the line of defense for democracy.”
China fumes; masses forces for military drills
Shortly after Pelosi's arrival, China's military announced joint air and sea drills near Taiwan and test launches of conventional missiles in the sea east of Taiwan, with Chinese state news agency Xinhua describing live-fire drills and other exercises around Taiwan from Thursday to Sunday.
China's foreign ministry said Pelosi's visit seriously damages peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, "has a severe impact on the political foundation of China-U.S. relations, and seriously infringes upon China's sovereignty and territorial integrity."
Before Pelosi's arrival on Tuesday, Chinese warplanes buzzed the line dividing the Taiwan Strait. The Chinese military said it was on high alert and will launch "targeted military operations" in response to Pelosi's visit.
The Chinese Defense Ministry released a map of six zones around the island where it plans to conduct air and sea exercises as well as long-range live-fire exercises, as part of what a spokesman described as a "blockade."
Ships and aircraft have been warned to stay out of the areas during the drills.
China sees Taiwan as a breakaway province that will eventually be under Beijing's control again. However, Taiwan sees itself as an independent country, with its own constitution and democratically-elected leaders.
China's President Xi Jinping has said "reunification" with Taiwan "must be fulfilled" - and has not ruled out the possible use of force to achieve this.
Japan increasingly nervous
Japan has expressed concern to China over its planned live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait, the country’s chief cabinet secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said on Wednesday.
Matsuno told reporters during a news conference that Tokyo is once again calling for "the peaceful resolution of the cross-straits issue."
He added that Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) is included in the area of sea that China announced as the target location for its military exercises.
