Nancy Pelosi lands in Taiwan despite China warning

GBNEWS24DESK//

Tensions are high across the region as the plane expected to be carrying US House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi touched down in Taiwan on Tuesday night, with Chinese warplanes flying close to the median line of the sensitive Taiwan Strait.

While Pelosi was met by Taiwan’s foreign minister, there did not appear to be an official ceremony, although Pelosi posed for photographs on the tarmac, and waved at those who had gathered.

Four US naval ships, including one aircraft carrier, were deployed in the waters east of Taiwan before Pelosi’s arrival.

Shortly after landing in Taiwan, Pelosi published a short statement saying the the visit is meant to highlight the US’s “unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwan’s vibrant Democracy.”

“America’s solidarity with the 23 million people of Taiwan is more important today than ever, as the world faces a choice between autocracy and democracy,” she said according to the statement, Al Jazeera reports.

Chinese warships and aircraft “squeezed” the median line on Tuesday morning, an unusual move described by one Reuters source as “very provocative”.