House Speaker Nancy’s Pelosi staff and security officials aren’t ruling out plans for her to visit Taiwan in early August on a trip that has already stoked more U.S.-China tensions.
No final decision has been made about stopping in Taiwan during a trip to Asia next month, according to a person familiar with the details, but if it happens it would come within days of an expected call between President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Beijing has been warning Pelosi not to be the first sitting speaker since Newt Gingrich to visit the self-governing island, which it considers part of its territory.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said China is getting "seriously prepared” to respond to a visit, and referred to earlier pledges to "take firm and strong measures to safeguard our sovereignty and territorial integrity.”