White House issues warning to China over Pelosi visit threats

• House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is considering a possible trip to Taiwan.
• China has warned against the “egregious political impact” of such a high-profile visit.
• President Joe Biden stopped short of telling House Speaker Nancy Pelosi not to visit Taiwan.

Biden administration are warning China not to take escalatory actions in the wake of potential trip of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan, emphasizing that the visit would not represent a shift in American foreign policy.

“There is no reason for Beijing to turn a potential visit, consistent with long standing US policy, into some sort of crisis or conflict, or use it as a pretext to increase aggressive military activity in or around the Taiwan Strait,” National Security Council Strategic Coordinator for Communications John Kirby told reporters on Monday.

According to a senior Taiwanese government official and a US official, Pelosi will visit Taiwan as part of her ongoing Asia tour. Despite warnings from Biden administration officials, who are concerned about China’s reaction to such a high-profile visit, the visit will go ahead. The stop, the first for a US House speaker in 25 years, is not on Pelosi’s public itinerary and comes at a time when US-China relations are already strained.

Chinese government officials have stepped up their rhetoric in anticipation of Pelosi’s possible visit.

China warned against the “egregious political impact” of Pelosi’s planned visit to the self-governing island that China claims as part of its territory during a regular foreign ministry briefing on Monday. Chinese officials reiterated that the country “won’t sit by idly” if its “sovereignty and territorial integrity” are threatened.

Though China’s military did not mention Taiwan, the People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command recently released a video in which it stated that it would “bury incoming enemies,” displaying its weaponry and fighting tactics.

While President Joe Biden stated publicly prior to the Asia trip that the US military did not believe it was a good time for Pelosi to visit Taiwan, according to two sources, he has stopped short of telling her directly not to go.

In addition, Biden discussed the trip with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a phone call last week. During Monday’s White House briefing, Kirby told CNN’s MJ Lee that Biden stressed to Xi that Pelosi, as a member of Congress, makes her own decisions on international travel.

This week, Biden administration officials have repeatedly stated that China should not interpret Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan as a change in US policy.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated the administration’s position that Pelosi’s decision to visit Taiwan is her own.

“Congress is an independent, coequal branch of government,” Blinken said in remarks at the United Nations Monday. “The decision is entirely the speaker’s.”

“If the speaker does decide to visit and China tries to create some kind of crisis or otherwise escalate tensions, that would be entirely on Beijing.”

Blinken said of previous members of Congress visiting Taiwan.

“We are looking for them to act responsibly and not engage in any further escalation if she decides to visit,” he added.

“We are looking for them, in the event she decides to visit, to act responsibly and not to engage in any escalation going forward,” which recognises Taiwan as part of China.

“We will not take the bait or engage in saber-rattling,” Kirby pledged, adding that the US “will not be intimidated” and will continue to operate in the Indo-Pacific while attempting to maintain communication lines with Beijing.

He stated that the administration expects “to see Beijing continue to use inflammatory rhetoric and disinformation in the coming days,”  but that the US remains focused on “trying to manage tensions, and quite frankly, manage one of the most consequential bilateral relationships in the world.”