There has been a lot of speculation about US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s upcoming visit to Taiwan. There are both cheerers and detractors on the issue of her visiting the island nation which China claims as its own, while the Taiwanese consider themselves as a self-governing democracy. A senior government official in Taiwan as well as a senior official in the nation have said that she would visit the country. There are both pros and cons and it is difficult to classify the visit as a right or wrong step forward as it is a matter of perception, between freedom and the possibility of conflict.

Nancy Pelosi is visiting Asia. Some officials have said that she will also visit Taiwan as a part of her Asia tour. However, the visit to the island nation is not mentioned in her public itinerary. While the Taiwanese official has said that the US House Speaker will stay overnight at Taiwan, the US official said that steps were being taken to safeguard her proposed trip as relations between China and the US are strained.

Some of the pros of a probable visit to Taipei and Taiwan by Nancy Pelosi

America is a large and thriving democracy. It gives a lot of freedom to its citizens including some which is misused. Congress members have a right to travel wherever they wished and Pelosi has bipartisan support from Democrats and Republicans who say that she has the right to visit the nation. Giving in to Chinese demands to scrap a visit might also be considered as a sign of intimidation by China against the U.S.

Some of the cons of a probable visit to Taipei and Taiwan

Chinese President Xi Jinping is looking for an unprecedented third term as the leader of the Chinese Communist Party. In such situations leadership is expected to show strength and Taiwan has been a flash point between the US and China from decades. Chinese ambassadors and diplomats have been trying to get Congress members to dissuade Pelosi from visiting Taiwan as they believe it will affect the already tense relations between the two nations.

According to President Joe Biden, the military in the US is opposed to a visit to Taiwan by Nancy Pelosi. However, the president has not provided further details with reference to the opposition. The White House said that the decision to travel to any location in the world belonged to Pelosi herself and this sentiment has been echoed by many in Congress.