- US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is unlikely to travel to Taiwan after all.
- A travel list published on Sunday morning (Swiss time) does not list the island nation.
- Accordingly, the third highest American will visit Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan.
The announcement by the California Democrat that she would visit Taiwan had previously caused diplomatic tensions between Washington and Beijing for days. In a joint phone call, Chinese President Xi Jinping warned his US counterpart Joe Biden not to burn his fingers on the island.
“Today, our congressional delegation travels to the Indo-Pacific region to reaffirm America’s strong and unwavering commitment to our allies and friends in the region,” Pelosi said.
The media reports, citing those around her that she was also considering a visit to Taiwan, went uncommented.
Chinese military maneuvers
Tensions between the US and China have escalated in the recent past.
Apparently as a warning to Washington, China’s military held live ammunition drills near Taiwan on Saturday. As the authorities announced, parts of the waters off Fujian province were blocked. The area is north of the Taiwan Strait, which separates mainland China and the island republic of Taiwan.