First off, Americans can travel where we please. We have liberty. Case-in-point, Rep. Nancy Pelosi can go to Taiwan if she wants, and if they’ll take her.
Pelosi would probably be more comfortable visiting authoritative China than democratic Taiwan. But China is upset because Pelosi and Taiwan think a trip is important, or opportunistic, or something else to make the trip worthwhile. After all, she’s in the region. China has issued threats that amount to disrupting commercial shipping in retaliation for the visit.
China has no say in where Pelosi lands on her foreign trip. But the situation is odd, being the same party as the president, in that her trip is causing more political problems for the Biden administration, which already has so many.
Conflicting messages doesn’t help anyone. Pelosi said, “America’s determination to preserve democracy here in Taiwan and around the world remains ironclad.” Right on. But just this week Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said, “We do not support Taiwan independence.” Pelosi and the Biden administration are not on the same page. How could that do anything here other than erode confidence in the United States?
It is curious and disappointing to see the top Democrat in the House and the White House of the same party contradict each other during a foreign trip. A joint message articulating the same policy would be more appropriate.
