LOC18:24
15:24 GMT
TOKYO, August 2 (KUNA) - US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who embarked on an Asian tour Sunday, made an unannounced stop in Taiwan late Tuesday despite Beijing's warnings, the Taipei-based Central News Agency reported.
Pelosi's trip to Taiwan was the first in 25 years by a US House speaker. The trip makes the 82-year-old California Democrat the first sitting US House speaker to visit Taiwan since 1997 when her predecessor Republican Newt Gingrich traveled to Taipei and met with then-President Lee Teng-hui.
The visit by the House speaker, who is second in line to the US presidency, is likely to draw the ire of China, which considers Taiwan part of its territory and opposes any official interactions that would imply otherwise, the report said.
China has threatened to take "resolute and strong measures" should Pelosi enter Taiwan, and some scholars have warned that her visit could spark a direct military confrontation between Washington and Beijing.
China reportedly has been conducting live-fire exercises along its coast over the past few days, according to the report. Its People's Liberation Army Eastern Theater Command released a short video Monday on social media, featuring land, sea, and airborne exercises, and it wrote in the post "ready for battle." China also temporarily halted imports of products from multiple Taiwanese food companies on Monday.
Earlier Tuesday, Taiwan's lawmakers across party lines expressed support for a visit by Pelosi and called on China not to overreact or misread the trip. (end)
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