Nancy Pelosi diagnosed Covid-positive and Postponed her Visit to Asia
Summary Report by Taiwan Weekly
Japan's Fuji News Network exclusively reported on April 7 that Speaker Nancy Pelosi of the United States House of Representatives was scheduled to lead a Congressional delegation to fly from the United States to Japan on April 8 and meet Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on April 10. After the meeting, the delegation would not go to South Korea as scheduled but would instead divert its trip to Taiwan to express American support. However, a day later she was declared to have been tested positive with the coronavirus (COVID-19), and her visit to Asia was postponed.
The report indicated that Russia's invasion of Ukraine once again brought the situation in the Taiwan Strait into an international focus, worrying that China could follow Russia's example and change the status quo of the Taiwan Strait unilaterally by force. To show its support for Taiwan, the United States urgently decided that Pelosi's delegation would divert its scheduled visit from South Korea to Taiwan.
According to the United Daily News, April 10 marks the 43rd anniversary of the legislation of the "Taiwan Relations Act". Taiwan has recently been busy preparing to welcome the U.S. Congressional delegation. Speaker Pelosi and her party were scheduled to arrive in Taiwan on April 10. People well-informed in foreign affairs revealed, the visit of the Congressional delegation to Taiwan would demonstrate the U.S. Congress' support for Taiwan, as well as the importance it attaches to Taiwan-U.S. relations and the Taiwan Relations Act.
If Pelosi does visit Taiwan, then she would be the first House speaker to visit Taiwan in 25 years since Newt Gingrich in 1997, which carries great significance.
The members of the Pelosi delegation to Asia are said to include Senator Bob Menendez, chairman of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, and Representative Gregory Meeks, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. At the end of last year, Meeks said that he would lead cross-party lawmakers to visit Asia in January this year and Taiwan was one of the stops, but the trip was not made due to some factors such as the pandemic and itinerary.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs would not comment on the report, but saying that it will brief the public in due course. In order to avoid Beijing's protest and obstruction, people involved in foreign and national security affairs also remain low-keyed, saying that there is currently no relevant information to announce, neither confirming nor denying it.
However, Speaker You Si-kun of the Legislative Yuan confirmed Pelosi's visit in a radio broadcast interview on April 7. You stated that he heard a little about it, although it was inconvenient for him to comment. He also said that Pelosi is very welcome to visit. As for the itinerary, he would respect any announcement released by the United States.
Spokesman Zhao Lijian of mainland China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded with four "serious" statements on April 7, saying that China firmly opposes Pelosi's visit to Taiwan and has made solemn representations with the United States. He said that if Pelosi should visit Taiwan, it would seriously violate the "One China" principle and the three U.S.-China joint communiques, seriously damage China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, seriously impact the political foundation of U.S.-China relations and send a seriously error signal to the separatist forces of Taiwan.
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi also said in a phone call with Emmanuel Bonne, foreign policy advisor to the French president, on April 7 that if the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives should knowingly make a verboten visit to Taiwan, it would be a malicious provocation to China's sovereignty and send an extremely dangerous political signal to the outside world. If the United States goes its own way, then China will make a resolute response, and Washington will bear all the consequences.
Hu Xijin, a Chinese mainland Internet celebrity and former editor-in-chief of the Global Times who has always been hawkish on the Taiwan issue, suggested on his personal Weibo that Beijing take drastic actions to declare its sovereignty over Taiwan, including (1) announcing that Taiwan’s airspace closed on April 10 and a no-fly order implemented and (2) having mainland Chinese fighter jets fly over Taiwan Island during Pelosi's visit to Taiwan.
On April 8 Taipei time, Pelosi's deputy spokesman Drew Hammill stated on Twitter that Pelosi was diagnosed with COVID-19 without symptoms and would start isolation. The original plan to lead a delegation to visit Asia would be postponed. Representative Meeks, who was rumored to join the visit to Taiwan, also announced on Twitter that he was tested positive with the coronavirus.
Spokesman Chang Dun-han of the Office of the President stated on April 8 that Speaker Pelosi is a staunch friend of Taiwan. President Tsai expressed her sincere concern from Taiwan to Speaker Pelosi and wished her a speedy recovery. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also asked the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) in the United States to convey warm regards and wish Speaker Pelosi a speedy recovery.
Spokesman Zhao expressed sympathy to Pelosi for contracting COVID-19 and hoped that she would recover soon, but he also said that "what she should do is not to postpone the visit, but to cancel it immediately."
Professor Li Qingsi of the School of International Studies, Renmin University of China, analyzed that the United States took advantage of the mainland's busy epidemic prevention situation to create a new crisis, and the U.S.-China relationship, which was slightly eased by the "Xi-Biden” video call in March, sank into tension again. He believed that the mainland would escalate military deterrence against Taiwan in response to the Pelosi visit. The key is that if the Taiwan Strait is in a state of tension for a long time, then no one can guarantee that there will be no mishaps. In the event of an accident, the mainland may as well take advantage of the situation to solve the Taiwan issue once and for all.
Pelosi, 82, was elected to the House of Representatives in 1987 and is the first female speaker of the House of Representatives in American history. She just announced in January that she would run in the midterm elections in early November. However, if Democrats fail to maintain majority in the House, she will not be able to renew her House speakership.
From:
https://udn.com/news/story/6656/6222980
https://udn.com/news/story/6656/6222253
https://www.chinatimes.com/newspapers/20220408000543-260119
https://www.chinatimes.com/newspapers/20220409000693-260309