OUR White House holds a “silent fish” regarding the possibility of a visit by the President of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosiin Taiwan, and neither confirms nor denies that Taiwanese media reports that her arrival in Taipei tomorrow, Tuesday, was “blocked.”

Foreign Secretary Anthony Blinken said today that he is not aware of Pelosi’s intentions, who is on tour in Asia, stressing that any initiative she took to visit Taiwan was entirely her “personal decision.”

The head of US diplomacy stressed, however, that Washington expects Beijing to respond responsibly and refrain from actions that would escalate tensions if Nancy Pelosi ends up visiting Taiwan.

“Not knowing” whether the speaker of the House of Representatives will visit Taiwan, said White House national security spokesman John Kirby. “We will not bite or intimidate,” he said, adding that nothing has changed in US policy towards Taiwan.

Beijing’s reaction

The news of Pelosi’s intention to visit the island outraged China, which considers it its territory and declared that it would not even hesitate to seize it by force in order to put it under its complete control. Taiwan’s roughly 23 million people have lived with the possibility of a Chinese invasion for years, but that threat has intensified under Xi Jinping’s presidency.

The US maintains a policy of “strategic uncertainty” about whether it will intervene militarily in the event of a Chinese invasion. Although they do not diplomatically recognize Taiwan independence, they support Taiwan’s democratically elected government and oppose any forced regime change on the self-governing island.

Last week, the US and Chinese presidents had a high-profile phone call dominated by differences over Taiwan, with Xi Jinping warning Joe Biden not to “play with fire.”

The scenarios for Pelosi’s possible visit to Taipei coincided with an increase in Chinese military activity in the region, highlighting the tense situation.

^{Source: APE-MEB, AFP, Reuters.}