A congressional delegation led by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived in Malaysia on Tuesday as part of the second leg of their Indo-Pacific tour, according to media reports.
The Strait Times citing local media reported that a special aircraft carrying Pelosi and her delegation touched down at the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) base in Subang at 10.33 am (Malaysian times). Pelosi is expected to visit Taiwan today, as per reports. She is going to Taiwan with scheduled meetings with government officials at the self-governed island that China threatens to forcefully overtake.
On Monday, China reiterated that it is keeping a close watch on the reports of Pelosi’s planned visit and warned of a resolute response and strong countermeasure if she insists on going ahead with the visit to Taipei.
Ahead of her possible visit, the Chinese Ambassador to ASEAN Deng Xijun said that Beijing will hold military exercises in the South China sea from August 2-6.
Meanwhile, the White House said that Pelosi has the right to visit Taiwan.
“If she goes it’s not without precedent, it’s not new,” US National Security Council coordinator John Kirby on Monday.
The Taiwanese official added that she is expected to stay in Taiwan overnight. It is unclear when exactly Pelosi will land in Taipei.
The US official added that Defense Department officials are working around the clock on monitoring any Chinese movements in the region and securing a plan to keep her safe.
Back in April, Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan had been postponed after she tested positive for COVID-19. At that time, Beijing had resolutely opposed any official exchange between the United States and Taiwan and stressed that the US should abide.
China claims almost all of the South China Sea as its sovereign territory.
In January this year, US State Department had released a study on South China Sea claims challenging many of Beijing’s assertions in the strategically important region.