New Delhi: While China is irked by the US House Of Representative Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, the speaker met the President of Taiwan Tsai Ing-wen in Taipei on Wednesday. The Taiwan President thanked Pelosi for her visit and said, "US Speaker Pelosi is truly one of Taiwan's most devoted friends. We are grateful to you to make this visit to Taiwan to showcase the US Congress' staunch support for Taiwan."
In response to Ing-wen's statement, Pelosi said, "America has made a bedrock promise to always stand with Taiwan. On this strong foundation, we've a thriving partnership grounded in self-government & self-determination focused on mutual security in the region & world committed to economic prosperity."
After welcoming Pelosi, the Taiwan President further stated, "Aggressions against democratic Taiwan would have a tremendous impact on the security of the entire Indo-Pacific...Facing deliberately heightened military threats Taiwan will not back down."
She added, "Taiwan is committed to maintaining peace & stability in the Taiwan Strait, and we will make Taiwan a key stabilising force for regional security ensuring a free & open Indo-Pacific."
Nancy Pelosi states reasons for Taiwan visit
Earlier on Tuesday, the Pelosi stated the reason for the controversial visit to the self-ruled island that Beijing considers its territory. Shortly after landing she said that the visit honored America's unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwan's vibrant democracy.
"Our congressional delegation's visit to Taiwan honors America's unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwan's vibrant democracy," Pelosi said. "America's solidarity with the 23 million people of Taiwan is more important today than ever, as the world faces a choice between autocracy and democracy", a Reuters report quoted Pelosi as saying.
She added that the visit by her congressional delegation, which includes an overnight stay, was entirely in line with longstanding US policy on Taiwan.
Pelosi said that discussions with Taiwanese leadership will focus on shared interests, including advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific.
Appreciating the work done by Taiwan during the Covid pandemic, Pelosi said, "We are here to listen to you and learn from you as to how we can go forward together. We congratulate you on successfully addressing the issue of Covid which is also an issue of health, economy, security & governance."
She further said, "Now we look forward to our conversation about how we can work together to save the planet from the climate crisis. We thank you for your leadership & we want the world to recognise it. Our visit was about human rights, unfair trade practices, security issues."
Pelosi says America stands with Taiwan
In a Washington Post opinion piece released shortly after she landed, Pelosi outlined her reasons for visiting, praising Taiwan's commitment to democratic government while criticizing China as having dramatically increased tensions with Taiwan in recent years.
"In the face of the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) accelerating aggression, our congressional delegation's visit should be seen as an unequivocal statement that America stands with Taiwan," Pelosi wrote.
(With agency inputs)