Pelosi Has Nailed the Optics of Her Taiwan Trip
The contrast her visit has drawn between the democratically governed island and the Communist-ruled mainland shows why Taiwan’s fate should matter to the world.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi pledged that the US wouldn’t abandon Taiwan.
Source: Yaoho Chen/CNANancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan may have been poorly timed, an unnecessary provocation, a reckless gamble, a grandstanding act or a combination of them all, depending on who’s talking. But there’s little doubt that the House speaker has done a good job so far of communicating the fundamental issues behind her trip, and why the island’s fate should matter to the world.
As Pelosi’s plane touched down in Taipei on Tuesday night, the Washington Post published an op-ed in which she laid out her rationale for making the journey, portraying the self-governed territory as a model democracy and free society that is increasingly menaced by its giant authoritarian neighbor. She recalled the origins of the US legislative commitment to support Taiwan’s defense, which from the start 43 years ago designated any attempt to change the island’s status by force as a threat to peace and security in the Western Pacific, and to American interests.