Nancy Pelosi starts much awaited Asia trip with Singapore

• US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is in Singapore as part of a high-profile Asia tour.
• A senior Taiwanese government official and a US official say she is expected to visit Taiwan.
• It is unknown when Pelosi will arrive in Taipei, or if she will make the trip at all.

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and several other members of Congress arrived in Singapore on Monday for their first official stop on a high-profile Asia tour that has sparked international speculation that she will visit Taiwan.

The delegation began their two-day visit to Singapore by meeting Singaporean President Halimah Yacob, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, and Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, according to a statement from Singapore’s Foreign Ministry.

According to the statement, they discussed US-Singapore cooperation on a variety of issues, including the climate crisis and economic development. Lee also “highlighted the importance of stable US-China relations for regional peace and security,” according to the statement. Pelosi is scheduled to attend an American Chamber of Commerce cocktail reception in the city-state later Monday.

Pelosi’s delegation stopped in Hawaii before heading to the Indo-Pacific, according to a statement from her office on Sunday. According to Pelosi’s office, the delegation will also visit Malaysia, South Korea, and Japan, where high-level meetings will be held to discuss “shared interests” such as trade, the Covid-19 pandemic, and the climate crisis.

Although neither the statement nor Pelosi’s public itinerary mentioned Taiwan, a senior Taiwanese government official and a US official told CNN on Monday that she is expected to visit Taiwan as part of her Asia tour. It is unknown when Pelosi will arrive in Taipei.

The stop, the first by a US House speaker in 25 years, comes at a time when US-China relations are already strained. She is expected to spend the night in Taiwan, according to the Taiwanese official.

According to the US official, Defense Department officials are working around the clock to monitor any Chinese movements in the region and devise a plan to keep her safe.

For weeks, speculation swirled that Pelosi, who is second in line of presidential succession behind the vice president, was planning a visit to the self-governing democratic island.

China’s Communist Party, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory despite never having ruled it, has repeatedly warned Pelosi against visiting the island, threatening to take “resolute and forceful measures” if she does.

Some US officials are concerned that the reported visit will elicit a military response from China, triggering the worst cross-strait crisis in decades.

During a phone call last Thursday between US President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Xi warned the US not to “play with fire” on the Taiwan issue, though neither side confirmed whether Pelosi’s reported plans were discussed. Preparation for the call came before reports of a possible trip.

When asked about Pelosi’s possible visit on Monday, Taiwan’s Premier Su Tseng-chang declined to confirm or deny whether she would stop in Taiwan and reiterated that Taipei welcomes foreign visitors.

Su told reporters, “The government warmly welcomes any foreign VIP friends to visit our country.”

Chairman Gregory Meeks (Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee), Chairman Mark Takano (Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs), Congresswoman Suzan DelBene, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, and Congressman Andy Kim are travelling with Pelosi as part of the Congressional delegation.

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