Pelosi's visit to Taiwan may provoke China to military provocations.
White House National Security Representative John Kirby said that US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's trip to Taiwan will not change the US position on Taiwan independence and that the separation of powers in the US government means that Pelosi will make her own decisions about the visit.
“The speaker has the right to visit Taiwan, and the speaker of the House of Representatives has visited Taiwan before without incident, as have many members of Congress, including this year,” Kirby said, according to Reuters.
“There is no reason for Beijing to convert possible visit, consistent with longstanding U.S. policy, to some sort of crisis or conflict or use it as a pretext for increased aggressive military activity in or around the Taiwan Strait,” he said.
However, Kirby suggested that China could to respond to Pelosi's alleged visit to Taiwan with military provocations.
China's actions may include launching k missiles near Taiwan, large-scale air or sea action or further “false legal claims” such as Beijing's claim that the Taiwan Strait is not an international waterway, John Kirby told reporters.
Also read: China threatens US military response if Pelosi goes to Taiwan – FT
Pelosi's office earlier said she was leading a congressional delegation to the region, which will include visits to Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan. It did not mention Taiwan. However, several sources told Reuters that Pelosi may meet with a group of activists in Taiwan on Tuesday or Wednesday.
