US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has a “right” to visit Taiwan, the White House insisted after the Democrat kicked off an Asia tour amid rising tensions with China.
Between expectations about whether or not Pelosi will visit Taiwan, the legislator met with the Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Hsien Loongwho advocated the stability of the link between Washington y Beijing.
“Prime Minister Lee stressed the importance of a stable relationship between the United States and China for regional peace and security,” according to a statement released by the Singapore Foreign Ministry. The delegation led by Pelosi will also visit Malaysia, South Korea and Japanbut the expectations about a possible stopover in Taiwan focus the attention of the tour.
“You have the right to visit Taiwan,” John Kirby, a spokesman for the White House National Security Council, told reporters.
“There is no reason for Beijing to turn a potential visit, consistent with long-standing US policy, into some kind of crisis,” he added.
Provocative visit
For its part, the Chinese ambassador to the UN, Zhang Hun, described the visit as “very dangerous, very provocative”speaking to journalists.
“If the United States insists on making the visit, China will take firm and strong measures to safeguard our sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he added.
Television networks affirmed, without identifying their sources, that Pelosi included Taiwan in her tour.