As the US stokes geopolitical flames with Pelosi’s Taiwan visit, China must be the bigger person

While on the US side, the timing of the trip suggests an attempt to distract voters from troubles at home, for Beijing it comes as a provocation amid already-high tensions

The temptation for Beijing will be to speed up cross-strait unification, but the world needs at least one global power to show restraint

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Christopher Nixon CoxandJames Arnold

Published: 6:45am, 4 Aug 2022Updated: 8:38am, 9 Aug 2022

As the leaders of the Chinese Communist Party prepare to gather in the seaside resort of Beidaihe for their annual summer summit, US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi went ahead with her controversial visit to Taiwan, leaving on Wednesday.

With a strong likelihood that the Democrats will lose their House majority in November’s midterm elections, Pelosi is taking one last trip to the region. It is possible she hopes it will allow her to remain as Speaker.

The Speaker of the House does not have authority to conduct US foreign policy. Moreover, it is hard to imagine that Pelosi could do more damage to America’s global standing than President Joe Biden has already done by following the advice of Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Iran envoy Robert Malley and National Security official Maher Bitar, with regard to Yemen, Israel, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, and now China. But that doesn’t mean she will not contribute to the serial disasters.

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (centre), walks with Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (left) as she arrives with a US delegation in Taipei on August 2. Photo: Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs via AP

Emboldened by the inanity of the Biden administration’s foreign policy, the People’s Liberation Army plans to conduct military exercises, effectively surrounding Taiwan for the next four days. Pelosi’s trip has been long on the cards, giving the PLA plenty of time to put a plan together.