Pelosi arrives in Taiwan

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi touched down in Taiwan on Tuesday in the dark, making her the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit the country since 1997. China views the self-governing island nation as part of its territory and warned against Pelosi’s visit, saying it would seek to stop “external interference” supporting Taiwan’s independence. The trip was not officially announced in advance, but Pelosi has been touring Asia and said her visit honors the U.S. commitment to supporting Taiwan’s democracy. 

Has China taken any action? China performed live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait over the weekend and said it will conduct more during the remainder of this week. White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said China may use this as an excuse to fire missiles in the Taiwan Strait or near Taiwan. But he said there would be no reason for this, as previous House speakers and other members of Congress have visited Taiwan in the past. Before Pelosi’s arrival, hackers attacked the Taiwanese Presidential Office’s website, making it temporarily unavailable Tuesday evening. The website was restored shortly afterward, and the hackers’ identities are still unknown, Taiwanese officials said.

Dig deeper: Read Hunter Baker’s column in WORLD Opinions on whether Pelosi should visit Taiwan.