US speaker Nancy Pelosi arrives in Taiwan amid rising tensions with China

US house speaker Nancy Pelosi has arrived in Taiwan, becoming the highest-ranking American official to visit the self-ruled island that is claimed by China in 25 years.

Ms Pelosi’s visit has triggered increased tensions between China and the United States. China claims Taiwan as part of its territory, to be annexed by force if necessary, and views visits by foreign government officials as recognition of the island’s sovereignty.

The government in Beijing had warned of “resolute and strong measures” if Ms Pelosi went ahead with the trip.

Speculation has centred on threatening military exercises and possible incursions by Chinese planes and ships into areas under Taiwanese control.

The Biden administration did not explicitly urge her to call the visit off, while seeking to assure Beijing it would not signal any change in US policy on Taiwan.

Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi said Washington’s betrayal “on the Taiwan issue is bankrupting its national credibility”.

“Some American politicians are playing with fire on the issue of Taiwan,” Mr Wang said in a statement. “This will definitely not have a good outcome . . . the exposure of America’s bullying face again shows it as the world’s biggest saboteur of peace.”

Ms Pelosi put out a statement on Tuesday, saying “America’s solidarity” with the island “is more important today than ever, as the world faces a choice between autocracy and democracy”.

The plane carrying Ms Pelosi and her delegation left Malaysia earlier on Tuesday after a brief stop that included a working lunch with prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

Barricades were erected outside the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Taipei where Ms Pelosi was expected to stay amid heightened security.

Two buildings in the capital lit up LED displays with words of welcome, including the iconic Taipei 101 building, which said: “Welcome to Taiwan, Speaker Pelosi”.

China, which regards Taiwan as a renegade province to be annexed by force if necessary, has repeatedly warned of retaliation for Ms Pelosi’s visit, saying its military will “never sit idly by”.

“The US and Taiwan have colluded to make provocations first, and China has only been compelled to act out of self-defence,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told reporters on Tuesday in Beijing.

Ms Hua said China has been in constant communication with the US and made clear “how dangerous it would be if the visit actually happens”.

Any counter-measures China take will be “justified and necessary” in the face of Washington’s “unscrupulous behaviour”, she said.

Shortly after Ms Pelosi’s arrival, a representative of the Chinese legislature’s standing committee issued a statement saying the trip “severely violated” the “One China principle”, which is Beijing’s claim to be the sole government of both mainland China and Taiwan.

Earlier, Chinese state media said Chinese Su-35 fighter jets were “crossing” the Taiwan Strait, the body of water that separates mainland China and Taiwan. It was not immediately clear where they were heading or what they planned to do.

Unspecified hackers launched a cyber attack on the Taiwanese presidential office’s website, making it temporarily unavailable on Tuesday evening. The presidential office said the website was restored shortly after the attack, which overwhelmed it with traffic.

“China thinks by launching a multi-domain pressure campaign against Taiwan, the people of Taiwan will be be intimidated. But they are wrong,” Wang Ting-yu, a legislator with the Democratic Progressive Party, said on Twitter in response to the attack.

China’s military threats have driven concerns of a new crisis in the 160km-wide Taiwan Strait that could roil global markets and supply chains.

The White House decried Beijing’s rhetoric, saying the US has no interest in deepening tensions with China and “will not take the bait or engage in sabre-rattling”.

White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby underlined that the decision whether to visit Taiwan was ultimately Ms Pelosi’s. He noted that members of US Congress have routinely visited the island over the years.

Ms Pelosi has used her position in the US Congress as an emissary for the US on the global stage. She has long challenged China on human rights, including in 2009 when she hand-delivered a letter to then-president Hu Jintao calling for the release of political prisoners.

She had sought to visit Taiwan’s island democracy earlier this year before testing positive for Covid-19.