China to surround Taiwan for military drills in response to Pelosi's trip

As part of her visit of Asia, Pelosi and members of a congressional delegation

arrived at Taipei Songshan Airport in the Taiwanese capital soon after 10:40 p.m.  

She spent Monday in Singapore and Tuesday in Malaysia.  

Her administration had previously stated that  

she would visit South Korea and Japan as well, 

but hadn’t mentioned a stopover in Taiwan 

until after her jet had landed on Tuesday night under the cover of darkness. 

In a joint statement released on Tuesday, Pelosi and the delegation said that their trip to Taiwan 

“honours America’s unshakable commitment to support Taiwan’s thriving Democracy.” 

Our visit is a part of a larger trip to the Indo-Pacific region, 

which also includes stops in Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, and Japan.  

This trip is centred on promoting economic cooperation, democratic government, and mutual security. 

Reiterating our support for our partner and pushing our common interests, 

such as creating a free and open Indo-Pacific area, 

will be the main topics of our discussions with Taiwan’s leadership. 

America’s support for Taiwan’s 23 million citizens is more crucial than ever right now  

as the globe struggles to decide between despotism and democracy.” 

The Taiwan Relations Act of 1979, the U.S.-China Joint Communiques, and the Six Assurances, 

which govern long-standing U.S. policy, are not in any way violated by the congressional delegation’s trip to Taiwan, they said. 

The US continues to be against unilateral attempts to alter the status quo. 

The highest ranking American official to visit Taiwan in the past 25 years is Pelosi. 

Beijing views any official interaction with Taiwan as an acknowledgment of its democratically elected government 

which the Communist Party, which rules the mainland, claims has no authority to manage international affairs. 

China to surround Taiwan for military drills in response to Pelosi's trip