Nancy Pelosi confirms that she is on her way to Asia, without mentioning Taiwan

US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi confirmed, Sunday, that she is on her way to Asia, without mentioning a possible stopover in Taiwan that could further deteriorate relations between China and the United States.

• Read also: Blinken hopes Beijing and Washington can manage their differences ‘wisely’

• Read also: Xi warns Biden not to “play with fire” in Taiwan

• Read also: Biden could discuss tariffs with the Chinese president

“I am leading a Congressional delegation to the Indo-Pacific to reaffirm America’s unwavering commitment to our allies and friends in the region,” Pelosi said in a statement.

“In Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan, we will be holding high-level meetings to discuss how we can advance our shared values ​​and interests including peace and security, economic growth, trade, the Covid-19 pandemic, climate crisis, human rights and democratic governance.

Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that Pelosi and her entourage will visit the city-state from August 1-2.

The House Speaker maintains ambiguity surrounding a possible visit to Taiwan for security reasons.

For weeks, tensions between the United States and China have been rising due to reports that it may visit the autonomous island, which China considers part of its territory.

Beijing will view a paragraph, albeit brief, of the island’s House of Representatives speaker as a provocation.

Washington does not have diplomatic relations with Taipei and recognizes the communist regime in Beijing as the sole representative of China. But the United States sells weapons to the island and praises its “democratic” regime.

Nancy Pelosi’s visit comes with the escalation of military tension in the region.

Taiwan’s military conducted its largest annual military exercise this week, which included mock interceptions of Chinese attacks from the sea.

Meanwhile, the US Navy said that the US aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and its convoy have left Singapore for the South China Sea as part of a scheduled operation.

In response, China on Saturday conducted a “live fire” military exercise in the Taiwan Strait.