- China has warned of repercussions if she goes ahead with the visit.
- U.S. Navy deploys four warships east of Taiwan.
- Fears of a new Taiwan Strait crisis.
Nancy Pelosi, the US House Speaker, is scheduled to arrive in Taiwan later today, escalating tensions in Beijing.
While no official announcement has been made, local Taiwanese media has reported that Ms. Pelosi will arrive in Taipei on Tuesday.
The US airforce jet on which Ms. Pelosi flew to Malaysia has taken off from Kuala Lumpur; it is unclear whether Ms. Pelosi is on board, but the US Navy has simultaneously deployed four warships east of Taiwan.
These were described as “routine deployments” by a US official.
Prior to her arrival, China’s foreign ministry confirmed contact with the US, adding that it wanted to be “clear about the gravity and sensitivity of this matter.”
Ms. Pelosi began a four-nation Asian tour in Singapore on Monday. She arrived in Malaysia for the second leg on Tuesday, where she met Lower House Speaker Azhar Azizan Harun in parliament, followed by Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
China has threatened retaliation ahead of the visit, raising fears of a new Taiwan Strait crisis.
Beijing has warned of repercussions, saying its military will “never sit idly by” if Ms Pelosi goes ahead with the visit.
Taiwan is considered part of the country’s territory, and contact between US officials and the country is seen as an encouragement to make the country’s decades-long de facto independence permanent.
She would be the highest-ranking elected official from the United States to visit in more than 25 years.
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