Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi is preparing to travel to Asia at the head of a congressional delegation, sources told NBC news, and it’s unclear if the trip will include Taiwan.
One source familiar with the itinerary, which would include Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and Singapore, said the trip to Taiwan was “tentative, that is, unconfirmed.”
And Bloomberg reported that a delegation led by Pelosi will leave today, Friday, the last day that the House of Representatives convenes before the August recess.
Democratic Party spokesman Rick Larsen said he was being pressured by Chinese officials to try to stop Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan, noting that “a Chinese embassy official called his office and asked him to ask Pelosi to cancel the trip.”
Pelosi invited top lawmakers to join her on the trip, including House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Gregory Meeks and Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Mark Takano, who led a delegation of lawmakers to Taiwan last year.
Representatives Michael McCall and Anna Esho said Pelosi invited them but was unable to accompany her on the trip.
Source: NBC News