Pelosi Wrapped up Asia Visit, Reiterated that CCP Cannot Isolate Taiwan by Blocking it

Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi said on Friday in Tokyo that Communist China will not be able to isolate Taiwan by preventing U.S. officials from traveling there.

Communist China has been trying to isolate Taiwan, including preventing it from joining the World Health Organization.

Pelosi said her visit to Taiwan was not to change the status quo on the island, but to maintain peace in the Taiwan Strait that separates Taiwan from Communist China. She praised Taiwan’s hard-won democracy, as well as technological and commercial success, but also criticized the CCP for violations of trade agreements, arms proliferation and human rights issues, and genocide against the Muslim Uighurs.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said the two sides discussed common security concerns about Communist China, North Korea and Russia, and pledged to work towards peace and stability in Taiwan. Pelosi also held talks with her Japanese counterpart, Speaker of lower house of the National Diet of Japan, Hosoda Hiroyuki.

To counter Communist China’s growing influence, the U.S. and Japan have been pushing for new security and economic frameworks with other democracies in the Indo-Pacific and Europe.

Before Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, a delegation led by former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba visited the island and discussed regional security with Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen. Shigeru Ishiba said Japan hopes a defense agreement with Taiwan while cooperating with the United States to prevent conflict in the Indo-Pacific.