TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Former U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo on Sunday (July 24) posted a tweet offering to fly with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on her reported trip to Taiwan, while congressmen are urging Pelosi to go through with her visit.
The Financial Times on July 19 cited six sources saying Pelosi will head a delegation that will visit Taiwan in August. When asked by the media to comment on Pelosi's trip to Taiwan, Biden on July 20 said, "Well, I think that the military thinks it’s not a good idea right now," while Pelosi the next day paraphrased the president as saying "the military was afraid our plane would get shot down."
On July 22, Representatives Tom Tiffany and Scott Perry penned a letter to Pelosi calling on her to rebuke the objections of Beijing and President Biden and go ahead with her scheduled trip to Taiwan. They asserted that as the House Speaker she should "never have to ask a foreign dictatorship or the State Department for permission to talk to America's friends and allies."
They also urged her to schedule a vote for H. Con. Res 21, which calls for an end to the "One China" policy and normalizing U.S.-Taiwan relations. They pointed out that President Carter's recognition of China was predicated on Beijing's commitment to resolve its differences with Taiwan through peaceful means, but that China has instead continued to threaten to annex the country by force.
Representative Don Bacon on Sunday posted a tweet in which he wrote: "Communist China does not get to dictate who in America can visit Taiwan." Less than 20 minutes later, Representative Brian Fitzpatrick posted a tweet in which he urged Pelosi to "show strength and not cower to the bullying of the Chinese Communist Party." Fitzpatrick added that calling off the trip would demonstrate "further weakness on the world stage and play into the hands of the CCP."
About three hours later, Pompeo posted a tweet in which he directly addressed Pelosi's Twitter account and wrote "Nancy, I'll go with you." He added that he is banned in China "but not freedom-loving Taiwan" and closed by typing "I'll see you there!" On Monday morning (July 25), Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) posted a comment beneath Pompeo's tweet in which he wrote: "Ok... We are looking forward to seeing you both here in Taiwan."
Pompeo's tweet appears to confirm a report that he is coming to Taiwan in September. During the trip, Pompeo is reportedly scheduled to meet with government officials and may travel to southern Taiwan to learn about the country's technology industry and explore ways in which to boost U.S.-Taiwan cooperation in the "democratic industrial chain."
(Tom Tiffany image)
Communist China does not get to dictate who in America can visit Taiwan. @MOFA_Taiwan @bikhim
— Rep. Don Bacon (@RepDonBacon) July 24, 2022
.@SpeakerPelosi, I urge you to show strength and do not cower to the bullying of the Chinese Communist Party. If you cancel this trip, it will show further weakness on the world stage and play into the hands of the CCP. America must stand up to the CCP. https://t.co/pZvxmOwS8f
— Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (@RepBrianFitz) July 24, 2022
.@SpeakerPelosi. Nancy, I'll go with you. I'm banned in China, but not freedom-loving Taiwan. See you there!
— Mike Pompeo (@mikepompeo) July 24, 2022
