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Nancy Pelosi Set to Visit Taiwan Despite Warnings From Biden and China: Report

The House speaker’s trip to Taipei is expected to enflame tensions in the region.

Nancy Pelosi is expected to visit Taiwan during her tour of Asia despite warnings from both the White House and the Chinese government, according to CNN. The outlet cited unnamed officials in both the Taiwanese and American governments in its report of the House speaker’s visit, which would be the first to the contested island in 25 years. The stop is not listed on Pelosi’s public itinerary and it’s not yet clear when she is planned to arrive in Taipei. The self-governing island—which China says is part of its territory—remains a key point of contention in the region. Last month, Joe Biden said the U.S. military opposed Pelosi visiting Taiwan, though the White House says it’s up to the speaker where she travels. Chinese government officials have also opposed the trip. “The embassy is making all our efforts to prevent the peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and the stability of China-U.S. relations being damaged by the potential visit of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan,” said Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in the U.S. “We hope serious consequences could be avoided.”