White House and CCP in War of Words Over Pelosi’s Taiwan Visit

Andrew ThornebrookeAugust 2, 2022

The White House and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) are in a war of words over the meaning of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s arrival in Taiwan on Tuesday.

White House officials maintain that Pelosi’s arrival is in line with nearly five decades of precedent governing Sino–American relations. CCP authorities have lambasted the United States, however, for what it has characterized as an attack on its sovereignty.

“China will definitely take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity in response to the U.S. Speaker’s visit,” said a statement from China’s foreign ministry. “All the consequences arising therefrom must be borne by the U.S. side and the ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces.”

The statement framed the ongoing drama over Taiwan in the CCP’s mythic terms of national “rejuvenation” and “reunification of the motherland,” the latter of which is a euphemism for the CCP’s stated ambition of compelling Taiwan to unite with the mainland, by force if necessary.

The White House maintained that the trip was well within the confines of the United States’ policies and agreements with China and Taiwan.

“The Speaker’s visit is totally consistent with our long-standing One China Policy,” said White House National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications John Kirby during an Aug. 2 press conference. “We’ve been very clear that nothing has changed about our One China policy, which is guided by the Taiwan Relations Act, three PRC-U.S. Joint Communiques, and the Six Assurances.”

“We’ve said we oppose any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side. We’ve said we do not support Taiwan independence.”

Kirby added that the content of his comments was explicitly communicated to CCP leadership on a number of occasions in recent months, including during President Joe Biden’s call with CCP leader Xi Jinping last week.

Kirby also said that