The delegation’s two-day visit to Singapore will include meetings with Singapore President Halimah Yacob and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, along with several cabinet ministers, according to Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Pelosi is also expected to attend a cocktail party held by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in the city-state on Monday afternoon.
Before reaching the Indo-Pacific, Pelosi’s delegation stopped in Hawaii, according to a statement from her office on Sunday.
The delegation also plans to visit Malaysia, South Korea and Japan, where high-level meetings will be held to address “shared interests” such as trade, the Covid-19 pandemic and the climate crisis, according to the office by Pelosi.
The statement did not mention Taiwan.
There has been speculation for weeks that Pelosi, who is second in line to the presidential succession behind the vice president, may be planning to visit the self-governing democratic island.
China’s Communist Party, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory — despite never having controlled it — has repeatedly warned against Pelosi’s visit to the island, vowing to take “decisive and forceful action” if the trip goes ahead .
Some US officials are concerned that the reported visit will be met with a military response from China, potentially triggering the worst cross-strait crisis in decades.
During a phone call between US President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping last Thursday, Xi warned the US not to “play with fire” on the Taiwan issue, although neither side confirmed whether they discussed Pelosi’s plans. Preparation of the call previous reports of the possible trip.
When asked about Pelosi’s possible visit on Monday, Taiwan’s Prime Minister Su Tseng-chang would not confirm whether she might stop there and reiterated that Taipei welcomes foreign guests. “The government welcomes any foreign VIP friend to visit our country,” Su told reporters.
Joining Pelosi as part of the congressional delegation are Speaker Gregory Meeks (Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee), Speaker Mark Takano (Chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee), the Congresswoman Suzan DelBene, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi and Congressman Andy Kim. .