The White House reiterated Monday that there is no change to its long-standing “One China” policy amid tensions over a visit by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to Taiwan.
Pelosi is expected to visit Taiwan during a trip to Asia this week, which has upset Chinese officials who are making threats. National Security Council communications coordinator John Kirby said it’s up to Pelosi whether to go, but he stressed that no U.S. policy will change regardless.
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“The speaker has the right to visit Taiwan, and the speaker of the House has visited Taiwan before, as have members of Congress, including this year,” Kirby said. “Nothing has changed about our One China policy.”
Under One China, the United States recognizes the People’s Republic of China as the sole legal government of China while not recognizing Taiwan as an independent nation.
Kirby said multiple times during Monday’s press briefings that the U.S. opposes any unilateral changes to the status quo and does not support Taiwan’s independence. The matter was discussed during last week’s phone call between President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping, Kirby added.
“There is no reason for Beijing to turn a potential visit consistent with long-standing U.S. policy into some sort of crisis or conflict or use it as a pretext to increase aggressive military activity in or around the Taiwan Strait,” he said.
China warned early Monday that its military would not “sit idly by” if the House speaker visits Taiwan during her trip this week, echoing similar comments from Xi last week that the U.S. should not “play with fire.”
If Pelosi travels to Taiwan, she’ll be the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit the island since former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA) made the trip in 1997. It’s not clear when Pelosi will arrive in Taiwan, but the House speaker is expected to stay there overnight, officials told CNN.
Kirby said Pelosi has not confirmed any travel plans and that the decision is hers alone to make, saying, “Congress is an independent branch of government.”
Several reporters mentioned Biden’s comments on July 20 that “the military thinks it’s not a good idea right now” for Pelosi to visit Taiwan.
“Why did the president bother with this drama from the beginning?” one reporter asked. “Why not call the Chinese bluff or tell them to pound sand when they started bellyaching about the possibility of this trip?”
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Kirby responded that there is no drama and no reason for the situation to escalate.
“We have been nothing but clear with the Chinese about where we stand on these issues,” he said. “Nothing has changed. There’s no drama to talk to.”
Biden has also said more than once that the U.S. will defend Taiwan, which his staff members have repeatedly walked back.
