Pompeo slams Biden over possible Pelosi trip to Chinese Taipei

Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has denounced the Biden administration for not fully supporting House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s planned trip to Chinese Taipei (Taiwan), which has been condemned by China.

“To allow America to be bullied by Chinese propaganda, right after, frankly, President Biden has had a phone call, a long phone call, with [Chinese President] Xi Jinping… would send a really bad message to our friends in the region: the Australians, the South Koreans, the Japanese,” Pompeo said in an interview on Sunday.

Pompeo’s comments are in stark contrast of those of former President Donald Trump, under whose he served as the Secretary of State. Trump slammed Pelosi’s trip and said, “Everything she touches turns to Chaos, Disruption, and ‘Crap.'”

Pelosi announced on Sunday that she was starting a four-country tour of Asia, scheduled to lead a six-member congressional delegation to Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan. She, however, did not mention Taiwan in her plans, despite several reports of her intent to visit the territory.

“I don’t agree with Speaker Pelosi very often, but she made it clear that she wanted to go visit, on her own, to visit Taiwan, an independent, sovereign nation. And now, the Biden administration is saying, ‘Well, maybe that’s not smart,’” Pompeo said.

US President Joe Biden said earlier this month the Pentagon was concerned about a backlash from China and was seeking to discourage the visit from happening.

“The military thinks it’s not a good idea right now,” Biden said as he stepped off of Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, “but I don’t know what the status of it is.”

China warned that the trip could “have a severe negative impact on the political foundation of China-US relations, and send a gravely wrong signal to ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces.”

China’s foreign ministry has warned that Beijing would take "forceful measures" if Pelosi visits Taiwan as reported by sections of US media.

A Chinese political analyst and researcher said China has conveyed to the United States that Taiwan is a redline that Washington should not meddle with.

Yilun Zhang, who is a Research Associate and Administrative Officer at the Institute for China-America Studies, made the remarks in an interview with Press TV on Thursday.

“It is not surprising that China is reacting significantly stronger to Speaker Pelosi's potential visit to Taiwan in August than any other tension over Taiwan,” Zhang said.

“Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, from Beijing's perspective, is a significant change of status quo, which seriously violates what the US and China agreed on in the Three Joint Communiqués. If she lands in Taipei, the Speaker is not only the highest-ranking American lawmaker but also the second politician in the US presidential succession line. Therefore, despite the Biden administration's attempt to draw lines between the executive and the legislative branch, it means little difference to the Chinese side, which is why it still points its finger to the White House, not just Congress,” the analyst explained.

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