In Washington, there has been anxious debate over whether Speaker Nancy Pelosi should risk the visit. In Beijing, there have been anger and threats. In Taiwan, where Pelosi is expected to land, the new flare-up in tensions has been met with subdued defiance.
Politicians from Taiwan’s two main political parties have offered support for the trip, a sentiment echoed by many in the self-ruled democracy of more than 23 million people, which China claims as its own.
While China released videos of planes and missiles flying to menacing music, one popular meme in Taiwan remade Pelosi as a powerful Taoist goddess. A Taiwanese politician wagered a chicken cutlet giveaway over her visit.
Inured to living in one of the world’s most dangerous geopolitical flashpoints, Taiwanese people have largely taken the prospect of the visit in stride. That steely nonchalance belies a political reality that has been hardening over the past decade: Many in Taiwan have grown weary of China’s threats and crave support from the US.
The talk of a visit has not been without its anxieties for Taiwan. On Tuesday morning, its military said it would strengthen combat readiness in anticipation of a potential response from China.
President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan has tread carefully into the fraught political moment. Although on the brink of a major diplomatic victory, she has made no public comment about the trip, probably to avoid exacerbating an already tense situation — as well as embarrassment, were it not to happen. Known as a cautious and pragmatic operator, Tsai has let others speak out instead.
Some support has come from unexpected corners. Two stalwarts of the generally China-friendly Kuomintang party, former President Ma Ying-jeou and the party chairman Eric Chu, cautiously welcomed Pelosi’s visit.
New York Times News Service
