• Pelosi and her delegation landed at a Malaysian air force base.
• She met with lower house Speaker Azhar Azizan Harun and attended a luncheon with PM Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
• Discussed “security challenges, economic opportunities, and governance priorities” with Malaysian leaders.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived in Malaysia on Tuesday for the second leg of her Asian tour, which will be overshadowed by a stop in Taiwan.

Pelosi and her delegation landed at a Malaysian air force base. In Parliament, she met with lower house Speaker Azhar Azizan Harun and attended a luncheon with Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

Pelosi released a statement about her visit on Tuesday, writing: “Today, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri and Foreign Minister Saifuddin welcomed our Congressional delegation. We had a wide-ranging discussion about how to advance our common goals of a free and secure Indo-Pacific.”

Pelosi stated that she discussed “security challenges, economic opportunities, and governance priorities” with Malaysian leaders.

“In each of our meetings, we expressed gratitude for Malaysia’s vote at the United Nations condemning Russia’s aggression and their leadership in ASEAN in condemning Burma for its lethal crackdown on dissent,” Pelosi said. “Our governance discussions focused on government integrity, addressing the climate crisis, and combating COVID. We agreed to continue working together on issues relating to our common security interests, economic priorities, trade, human trafficking, and climate change.”

While no official announcements have been made, local Taiwanese media have reported that Pelosi will arrive in Taipei on Tuesday night. She would be the highest-ranking elected official from the United States to visit in more than 25 years.

The news of Pelosi’s visit irritated China, which regards Taiwan as part of its territory and sees any visit by a high-ranking American official as confirmation of the United States’ support for the Island’s independence.

If Pelosi goes ahead with the visit, China’s military will “never sit idly by.” China’s threats of retaliation have raised fears of a new crisis in the Taiwan Strait, which separates the two sides, potentially disrupting global markets and supply chains.

The White House has stated that it will not engage in “sabre rattling” with China.

The significance of the threats was downplayed by White House national security spokesman John Kirby.

“We should not be intimidated by that rhetoric or those potential actions as a country. This is an important trip for the speaker, and we will do everything we can to help her “Kirby stated to reporters.

Taiwanese Premier Su Tseng-chang celebrated Pelosi’s possible arrival without confirming the House Speaker’s visit.

“We always warmly welcome distinguished foreign guests to our country,” he said.

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