Nancy Pelosi, the current speaker of the United States House of Representatives, announced her visit to Taiwan, causing many protests from mainland China. The Chinese government has expressed its “deepest concern” at the news, while no official statement has been issued by Washington. 

Pelosi has long criticized the Chinese government for being undemocratic and violent. Especially, Pelosi has a record of disagreeing with the Chinese government on most issues, especially during the Tiananmen Square protests and the Hong Kong Protests. 

China’s reaction is what everyone predicted: outrage. Already, China has called Pelosi’s plan “a threat to the peace of East Asia” and warned that “she who plays with fire will get burned,” suggesting that they will do everything to try to keep Pelosi out of Taiwan. For China, which considers Taiwan as part of itself, Pelosi visiting Taiwan could weaken that argument. Worse, it would make China look weak by failing to keep an individual out of their territory. 

In America, there are mixed reactions. While some support Pelosi’s decision, others suggest that maybe Pelosi went too far this time. Already, she has experienced being detained in China during one of her past visits, and some people fear that if Pelosi does indeed visit Taiwan, whatever China does next is going to be hard to predict. 

Upon hearing Pelosi’s plan, China moved its army and amassed them in the region facing Taiwan. The Chinese military is practicing dangerously close to Taiwan. There is no knowing what will happen next, but as August draws near, the tensions will continue to rise.

이세준 강남포스트 학생기자  webmaster@ignnews.kr

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