Pelosi to visit Taiwan despite Chinese threats
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) will visit Taiwan during her tour of the Indo-Pacific region, officials from the U.S. and Taiwanese governments confirmed.
Pelosi, who will be the first speaker to visit Taiwan since Newt Gingrich in 1997, arrived in Singapore Monday morning. It is unclear when she expects to land in Taipei, though she does plan to spend the night there.
China has expressed furious opposition to the trip. Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said that China's military would not "sit idly by" and would "take resolute responses and strong countermeasures to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity." One Chinese journalist tweeted that the People's Liberation Army would be justified in shooting down Pelosi's plane if she attempted to land in Taiwan, but no Chinese government official has issued a comparable threat.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Reactions in the U.S. were mixed and did not break down along traditional party lines. Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) said there were "up and downsides" to the trip but that "the United States needs to stand with Taiwan." Secretary of State Antony Blinken insisted that the "decision is entirely" Pelosi's. Fox News host Laura Ingraham shared a Salon article by progressive writer Norman Solomon warning that Pelosi's visit "could get us all killed." Right-libertarian author Stephen Kent expressed a different view, tweeting that the Taiwan trip "could be the single most important thing Nancy Pelosi does in her political career" and that "we should all cheer her on."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Grayson Quay was the weekend editor at TheWeek.com. His writing has also been published in National Review, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Modern Age, The American Conservative, The Spectator World, and other outlets. Grayson earned his M.A. from Georgetown University in 2019.
-
What to know before filing your own taxes for the first timethe explainer Tackle this financial milestone with confidence
-
The biggest box office flops of the 21st centuryin depth Unnecessary remakes and turgid, expensive CGI-fests highlight this list of these most notorious box-office losers
-
What are the best investments for beginners?The Explainer Stocks and ETFs and bonds, oh my
-
Judge blocks Hegseth from punishing Kelly over videoSpeed Read Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pushed for the senator to be demoted over a video in which he reminds military officials they should refuse illegal orders
-
Trump’s EPA kills legal basis for federal climate policySpeed Read The government’s authority to regulate several planet-warming pollutants has been repealed
-
House votes to end Trump’s Canada tariffsSpeed Read Six Republicans joined with Democrats to repeal the president’s tariffs
-
Bondi, Democrats clash over Epstein in hearingSpeed Read Attorney General Pam Bondi ignored survivors of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and demanded that Democrats apologize to Trump
-
El Paso airspace closure tied to FAA-Pentagon standoffSpeed Read The closure in the Texas border city stemmed from disagreements between the Federal Aviation Administration and Pentagon officials over drone-related tests
-
Judge blocks Trump suit for Michigan voter rollsSpeed Read A Trump-appointed federal judge rejected the administration’s demand for voters’ personal data
-
US to send 200 troops to Nigeria to train armySpeed Read Trump has accused the West African government of failing to protect Christians from terrorist attacks
-
Grand jury rejects charging 6 Democrats for ‘orders’ videoSpeed Read The jury refused to indict Democratic lawmakers for a video in which they urged military members to resist illegal orders
