Speaker Nancy Pelosi Expected to Visit Taiwan in Spite of Tensions With China: Report

U.S. and Chinese officials are on edge as reports indicate that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will visit Taiwan during her tour of the Indo-Pacific region.

Pelosi’s office announced on Sunday that she would lead a congressional delegation that would visit Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, and Japan to “reaffirm America’s strong and unshakeable commitment to our allies and friends in the region.” While the public announcement did not mention the possibility of a trip to Taiwan, Biden administration officials have informed multiple outlets that Pelosi is expected to visit the island nation, which is creating a tense situation with China.

CNN’s Will Ripley delivered a report on Monday that U.S. and Taiwanese government officials both say Pelosi will visit Taiwan after her stop in Malaysia. As the second-in-line for the U.S. presidency, Pelosi would be the highest-ranking American official to visit Taiwan in the last 25 years, and U.S. officials are working to establish her security amid threats from China.

For years, the U.S. has observed a strategy of “strategic ambiguity” regarding China’s claim that Taiwan — a self-governing democracy — is part of their sovereign territory. Pelosi has been a vocal critic of China in the past, and her visit not only comes amid China’s threats of a forceful reunification with Taiwan but it also comes while Chinese President Xi Jinping is trying to boost his domestic credentials as he seeks an unprecedented third term in the Chinese Communist Party’s upcoming national congress meeting.

Watch above, via CNN.