The Democratic policy does not clarify if its delegation will finally land in Taipei, while Beijing assures that "it will take countermeasures to defend its territorial integrity"The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Democrat Nancy Pelosi, began a tour of Asia on Monday marked by secrecy about her itinerary, amid growing tensions with China over the Taiwan issue.Amid expectations about whether Pelosi will pay a visit to Taiwan, the leader of the US House of Representatives has met with the Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong, who has advocated the stability of the link between Washington and Beijing."Prime Minister Lee stressed the importance of a stable relationship between the United States and China for regional peace and security," according to a statement released by Singapore's foreign ministry.The delegation headed by Pelosi will visit Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan, but expectations about a possible stopover in Taiwan focus the attention of the tour.The American television networks CNN and the Taiwanese TVBS have affirmed this Monday, without identifying their sources, that Pelosi has Taiwan included in her tour.Reports of a plan to visit Taiwan have outraged China and sparked anger even in the White House, amid attempts by Democrat Joe Biden to defuse tensions with Beijing.The Chinese Foreign Ministry has warned that a visit by Pelosi to Taiwan would "seriously threaten the peace and stability" of the Taiwan Strait."If House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visits Taiwan, China will take firm and resolute countermeasures to uphold Taiwan's sovereignty and territorial integrity," ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said, without specifying which ones.China considers Taiwan as one of its provinces that has not yet been reunited with the rest of its territory since the end of the Chinese civil war and repeatedly evokes the possibility of recovering it, by force if necessary.The Chinese government opposes any initiative that gives international legitimacy to the Taiwanese authorities and any official contact between Taiwan and other countries.Pelosi's office has confirmed her trip to Asia only once the Democratic leader had already taken off, after days of speculation and refusal to confirm the itinerary."The trip will focus on mutual security, economic partnership and democratic governance in the Indo-Pacific region," her office said."Our delegation will hold high-level meetings to discuss how we can continue to advance our shared interests and values, including peace and security, economic growth and trade, the Covid-19 pandemic, the climate crisis, human rights and democratic governance," Pelosi said in the note.The statement makes no reference to Taiwan, but US politicians and senior officials often keep their trips to the island secret until they land.This island of 23 million people lives in fear of invasion, but this threat has intensified under Xi Jinping's presidency.The United States maintains a "strategic ambiguity" regarding whether its troops would intervene in a conflict.On a diplomatic level, it recognizes Beijing and not Taipei, but supports the democratic government of Taiwan and opposes a change by force in the 'status quo' on the island.U.S. politicians often quietly visit Taiwan, but a trip by Pelosi would mark a milestone since the last visit by a House leader in 1997. The importance of the visit is that because of her position, Pelosi is the third representative position most important in the United States, after the president and vice president.In China, The Global Times, a state-run tabloid, has floated the idea that Pelosi may use the excuse of an emergency landing to land in Taiwan."If he dares to stop in Taiwan, it would be time to ignite the powder keg that is the Taiwan Strait situation," said Hu Xijin, a former editor of the 'Global Times' and now a commentator.The Taiwanese government maintains a strategic silence and the possibility of a visit by Pelosi has received minimal coverage in the local press.On Thursday, Biden and his counterpart had a tense phone conversation, in which Xi told Biden that the United States should not "play with fire" when it comes to Taiwan.Conforms to The Trust Project criteriaThe director of El Mundo selects the most interesting news for you.There are no comments yet.Be the first to give your opinion...