US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and some Congressmen will travel to Asia on Friday to visit Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and Singapore, although the mooted visit to Taiwan is "under consideration", NBC reported, citing sources.
Earlier, Pelosi invited senior lawmakers, including House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Gregory Meeks, and Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Mark Takano, to join her on the trip.
When Pelosi announced her plan to visit Taiwan - in what would have been the first visit of the highest-ranking US politician there in 25 years - she was severely criticized by both the White House and the Pentagon. The US House Speaker was told that such a visit would inflame tensions between the US and China since Beijing would consider the move as interference in its internal affairs. Pelosi, however, has not changed her mind, saying that criticism of her trip was "undemocratic".
News of Pelosi's planned tour of Asia comes after the Chinese and US presidents had a lengthy phone conversation on Thursday to discuss bilateral relations, including the Taiwan issue. Commenting on reports about US House Speaker's possible visit to Taiwan, President Xi warned Biden that Beijing was strongly opposed to the idea, saying that Washington's support of Taiwan is "dangerous" and would backfire on the US some day.
According to the White House, during the conversation with Xi, Biden "underscored that US policy has not changed and that America strongly opposes unilateral efforts to change the status quo or undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait."
Beijing considers the island of Taiwan to be part of China and strongly opposes it being seen as an independent territory. The US - although officially adhering to the 'One China' policy which says there is only one Chinese government - has maintained a kind of unofficial relationship with Taiwan, including arms sales to the island under the pretext that it should be able to defend itself.