However, the abandonment of self-ruled Taiwan was still tentative, as China issues warnings about a possible visit by the speaker of the House and US-China relations are at a low point. Pelosi is bringing a delegation of fellow lawmakers to the visit. She declined to answer reporters’ questions about her plans, saying Wednesday in response to a question about a possible visit to Taiwan, “I never talk about my trip. It’s a risk for me.” Taiwan has emerged as a major flashpoint between the US and China, as US officials fear a more imminent Chinese move on the self-ruled island. National security officials have quietly worked to convince Pelosi of the dangers her potential trip to Taiwan could pose at a very sensitive time. In a long and candid phone call Thursday, Chinese President Xi Jinping issued a stark warning to President Joe Biden on the matter. “Public opinion should not be violated and if you play with fire you get burned. I hope the American side can see that clearly,” he told Biden, according to China’s state news agency. Pelosi would be the first sitting speaker of the US House to visit Taiwan since Newt Gingrich went there in 1997.
Pressure campaign on Congress
The Chinese embassy in the United States urged members of Congress to tell Pelosi not to make the trip, which was planned for April before Pelosi tested positive for Covid-19. “I would say there is a full court press from the Chinese embassy to discourage a trip to Taiwan,” Washington Democratic Rep. Rick Larsen, the co-chairman of the congressional US-China task force, told CNN. “I just don’t think it’s their job to tell us what to do. That was my message back.” Larsen said he met with China’s Consul General in San Francisco in Seattle on Monday and also told Larsen to discourage Pelosi from traveling to Taiwan. The consulate did not respond to requests for comment. “It’s not my job to tell the speaker what the speaker does or doesn’t do,” Larsen said. “She has a lot more experience with these things than I do. And so, I’ll trust her judgment.” Liu Pengyu, a spokesman for the Chinese embassy in the US, responded that his office is in “regular contact” with members of Congress, including Larsen. “On the Taiwan issue, we have expressed our position loud and clear,” Liu said. “The Embassy is making every effort to prevent damage to the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait and the stability of China-US relations from the possible visit of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan.” “We hope that serious consequences could be avoided,” he added. “This is in the common interests of both China and the US.” Democrats and Republicans in Congress said it was Pelosi’s right to travel to Taiwan. “It’s only Speaker Pelosi’s decision whether or not to travel to Taiwan, not to any other country,” said Illinois Rep. Darin LaHood, Larsen’s Republican counterpart on the US-China task force. “In our democratic system — we operate with separate but equal branches of government. “It is inappropriate for foreign governments, including the Chinese government, to attempt to influence the ability or right to travel for the President, members of Congress, or other US government officials to Taiwan or anywhere else around the world,” he added. LaHood. Other members appeared to be more cautious about the potential, diplomatically sensitive trip. California Democratic Rep. Judy Chu, the first Chinese-American woman elected to Congress, said she has “always supported Taiwan.” But when asked whether a trip to Taiwan now would send the wrong message, Chu said: “You can look at it two ways. One is that relations are very strained right now. On the other hand, you can say that maybe then it was Taiwan. We must also show strength and support.” When asked what she thought, Chu said: “I leave it to those who will make that decision.” This story has been updated with additional background information.
