Pelosi's Visit to Taiwan Could Deteriorate US-China Relations: South China Morning Post

The visit of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan may be limited to a transit stay at Taipei's airport, experts believe, as reported by the South China Morning Post.

For instance, Huang Kwei-bo, a professor of international relations at National Chengchi University in Taipei, suggested that Pelosi might not visit Taiwan in an official capacity. However, the Speaker of the US House of Representatives may spend a few hours in Taiwan to meet with the island's leader, Tsai Ing-wen, in the airport transit section. Formally, Pelosi would not be in Taiwan, he stated.

According to Kwei-bo, a visit by a member of the US Congress to Taiwan is likely to exacerbate relations between Washington and Beijing. Nevertheless, after Pelosi's resignation in November 2022, the new Speaker of the House would have the opportunity to restore relations.

It is noteworthy that the plane carrying Pelosi took off from Honolulu's airport. Earlier, CNN, citing its sources, reported that the White House had warned the House Speaker about the risks associated with the visit to Taiwan. According to the network, Pentagon and White House representatives had attempted to persuade the politician about the risks of such a visit, though they did not directly advise her to cancel it.