Pelosi’s peers say don’t cave to Beijing over Taiwan stop

Bloomberg

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is getting bipartisan support for a possible trip to Taiwan, with some lawmakers from both parties arguing that it’s important that the top leader in the US Congress show no sign of giving in to pressure from China’s government.
“If we can allow the Chinese to dictate who can visit Taiwan and who cannot, then we have already ceded Taiwan to the Chinese,” said Senate Foreign Relations Chair Bob Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat who made his own trip to Taiwan in April. “If they can veto everyone in the world who wants to come to Taiwan, then Taiwan will be isolated. So I think she has an absolute right to visit and I think the support of Taiwan is important.”
Senator John Cornyn, a Texas Republican who visited Taiwan in late 2021, said that “it’s an important message that we’re not going to cave to the Chinese Communist Party.”
The government in Beijing has escalated threats of repercussions since reports last week that Pelosi was planning a stop in Taiwan during a trip to Asia next month, which would come after of an expected call between President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Taiwan, which China considers part of its territory, is a particularly sensitive issue.
Pelosi scrapped a reported trip to Taiwan in April after testing positive for Covid. She has refused to discuss her current travel plans, citing security concerns. She said last week that it was “important for us to show support for Taiwan.” A person familiar with the planning said no decision’s been made about a Taiwan stop. Biden last week suggested the visit is “not a good idea right now,” without giving details, but the administration has said the decision is Pelosi’s to make.
John Kirby, spokesman for Biden’s National Security Council, declined to discuss any security consultations with Pelosi’s staff, saying the speaker hasn’t announced any travel. He also criticized the “bellicosity” of statements from China’s Defense and Foreign ministries about Pelosi’s potential schedule.
“There’s no trip to speak to and rhetoric of that kind only escalates tensions in a completely unnecessary manner,” he told reporters at a briefing.
The tough rhetoric from China continued on Wednesday. When Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian was asked during a regular press briefing in Beijing about reports the US may move military assets to the region if Pelosi does visit, he said his nation is “fully prepared for any eventuality.”
Some Republicans are using perceived reticence by Biden as a weapon against him. The Republicans on the House Oversight Committee tweeted that “Biden is taking orders from Communist China on where members of Congress can travel.”
Republican Newt Gingrich, who was the last House speaker to stop in Taiwan when he led a delegation there in 1997, blasted the administration as being too timid and inviting bullying by China.
“And so I commend Nancy,” Gingrich said at a policy summit in Washington. “We have enormous disagreements on 98 or 99% of the things, but on this one, I think her instinct is right. I hope she sticks to her guns.”
Some Democrats said switching course after veiled threats from the Chinese would be a mistake.
“Certainly our relationship with Taiwan is important and to have her go and strengthen that relationship is a good thing,” Senator Gary Peters, a Michigan Democrat, said. “We have to make sure our friends know that they’re our friends.”
Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Mark Warner said he’s sure Pelosi will only make a final decision after closely conferring with the administration, including the Department of Defense.