China considers Taiwan, with a population of around 23 million, to be one of its provinces, which it has yet to successfully reunify with the rest of its territory since the end of the Chinese Civil War ( 1949). Opposed to any initiative giving the Taiwanese authorities international legitimacy, Beijing is against any official contact between Taiwan and other countries.
US officials and parliamentarians regularly visit the island. But China considers a visit by Ms. Pelosi, one of the highest figures in the American state, to be a major provocation. Last week, during a telephone interview with US President Joe Biden, Chinese President Xi Jinping had already called on Americans not to “play with fire”.
Since 1979, Washington has recognized only one Chinese government, that of Beijing, while continuing to provide support to the Taiwanese authorities, with in particular multiple arms sales.
According to the Taiwanese newspaper Liberty Times, which cites anonymous sources, the American leader will meet on Wednesday Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, a pet peeve of Beijing because she comes from an independence party.