This comes amid more stormy warnings from Beijing amid heightened tensions over her planned visit to the island.
Pelosi, No 3 in the line of US presidential succession, is leading a six-member congressional delegation to Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan, according to a statement released by her office on Sunday.
The statement skipped any mention of Taiwan, after days of intense speculation about a likely stop there fuelled tensions, with Beijing calling it a provocation and warning Washington against playing with fire.
“In Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan, our delegation will hold high-level meetings to discuss how we can further advance our shared interests and values, including peace and security, economic growth and trade, the Covid-19 pandemic, the climate crisis, human rights and democratic governance,” the statement quoted Pelosi as saying.
“America is firmly committed to smart, strategic engagement in the region, understanding that a free and flourishing Indo-Pacific is crucial to prosperity in our nation and around the globe,” the 82-year-old Democratic lawmaker said.
Beijing regards Taiwan to be a breakaway province, to be reunited by force if necessary, and warns against any official exchange with the self-governed island.
It earlier said Pelosi’s planned trip to Taiwan was a move to support Taiwan independence, in violation of one-China policy, followed by the United States.
On Thursday, Biden and China’s Xi Jinping spoke on the phone for over two hours. During the call, Biden tried to reassure Xi that US policy towards Taiwan has not changed.
“On Taiwan, President Biden emphasized that US policy has not changed and that the US strongly opposes unilateral efforts to change the status quo or undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” an official readout on the White House website said.
After the leaders’ phone call, China’s Foreign Ministry quoted Xi as telling Biden that those who play with fire will perish by it and that they hoped the United States will be clear-eyed about this.
However, Pelosi indicated on Friday that she will be on a trip to Asia, but did not mention Taiwan. “I am very excited if we were to go to the countries that you will hear about along the way,” she said, Reuters reported.
White House spokesman John Kirby said, “Where she (Pelosi) is going to go and what she is going to do is up to the speaker to speak to.”
However, he added that the United States has not observed any signs of a specific military threat from China. “(We have) seen no physical, tangible indications of anything untoward with regard to Taiwan,” Kirby said.
