White House: US ‘don’t want a crisis’ but will ‘manage what Beijing chooses to do’ during Pelosi’s Taiwan visit

The White House said on Tuesday that the United States “does not want a crisis” and is “ready to do what Beijing chooses to do” as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived in Taiwan despite warnings from China for her visit.

White House National Security Council strategic communications coordinator John Kirby said Tuesday that even before Pelosi’s visit, China “was ready to take further steps, and we expect them to continue to respond on a longer-term scale. .”

“America doesn’t and won’t, doesn’t seek and doesn’t want a crisis,” Kirby said.

Kirby stressed that China had “no reason” to turn Pelosi’s “perfectly legal and consistent travel” into “an excuse to increase tensions and create some kind of conflict crisis.”

NANCY PELOSI lands on Taiwan amid Chinese threat and military activity

“There’s no reason to do that at all because she didn’t act and we didn’t act, which is inconsistent with the way we’ve been acting for decades since the Taiwan Relations Act was passed into law back in the late ’70s,” Kirby said. .

“I just want to say we don’t support Taiwan independence — we’ve said it before,” Kirby said. “We do support Taiwan’s self-defense under the Taiwan Relations Act. We will continue to do so, and we will continue to work to revitalize our alliances and partnerships in the region for a free and open Indo-Pacific.”

“We are ready to manage what Beijing chooses to do,” Kirby said. “At the same time, we won’t use knives.”

Pelosi Taiwan tour: 4 US warships located on the east of the island

Kirby stressed that the United States seeks to “maintain communication with Beijing” and “will continue to do what we are doing, which is conducive to cross-strait peace and stability.”

Pelosi arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday as he made an extensive visit to multiple allies in Asia, weeks after the Chinese Communist Party threatened retaliation.

“Our visit is one of several congressional delegations to visit Taiwan — in no way inconsistent with longstanding U.S. policy, which is governed by the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979,” Pelosi said in a statement afterward. “, the U.S.-China Joint Communiqué and the Six Assurances as a guide.” Arrived. “The United States continues to oppose unilateral efforts to change the status quo.”

China furious after Pelosi landed in Taiwan, pledges to take ‘all necessary measures’ to defend itself

The United States has no official relationship with Taiwan, although it has increased its engagement with Taiwan and attempted to prevent a Chinese invasion.

Pelosi is the first speaker of the House of Representatives to visit Taiwan since Newt Gingrich in 1997, and the Taiwanese government has been eager to host the speaker. A diplomatic visit of this level could provide Taiwan with legitimacy on the world stage.