Biden: Pentagon Does Not Support Pelosi Visiting Taiwan, After China Warning

Nancy Patricia Pelosi has served as speaker of the United States House of Representatives since 2019, but was also speaker from 2007 to 2011, and a U.S. representative from California since 1987.

By Donald Standeford, SJ Founder/Publisher
July 21, 2022 03:00 am UTC
Modified: July 21, 2022 03:00 am

WASHINGTON - US President Joe Biden is now urging Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi to cancel her visit to the island of Taiwan after China put out a warning about "forceful measures" being taken if Pelosi made the trip to the region.

Biden said that the Pentagon agrees with warnings by China that Pelosi should cancel her plans to visit Taiwan in August.

Biden told reporters that "The military thinks it’s not a good idea right now," and said that he would be speaking with Chinese President Xi Jinping "in the next 10 days" after returning from a trip to Massachusetts to discuss global warming.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said that "If Speaker Pelosi visits Taiwan, this would gravely violate the one-China principle and the stipulations of the three China-U.S. Joint Communiqués, seriously undermine China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, severely impact the political foundation of China-U.S. relations and send a seriously wrong signal to 'Taiwan independence' secessionist forces."

"China is resolutely opposed to that. China demands that the U.S. side abide by the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-U.S. joint communiques, refrain from arranging for the speaker to visit Taiwan, stop official interaction with Taiwan, stop creating factors that lead to tensions across the Taiwan Straits and take concrete action to fulfill its commitment of not supporting 'Taiwan independence'," he continued.

"If the U.S. side is bent on going its own way, China will take resolute and forceful measures to firmly safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity. All possible consequences that arise from this will completely be borne by the U.S. side."

Republican lawmaker Mike Gallagher said, "This is a bad message from the president and an overall weak message for US foreign policy," and added "I urge Speaker Pelosi not to back down."

President Biden's call for Pelosi to cancel her trip to Taiwan after the United States sent the US guided-missile destroyer the USS Benfold through the Taiwan Strait on July 19th dulls an otherwise strong message of defiance to China, which claims that the strait is not international waters, but Chinese territory.