"In terms of Taiwan, our purpose in going to Taiwan was to say that we have a strong relationship built on the status quo, which we support," Pelosi said during a press conference on her trip.
Pelosi and other lawmakers visited the island on August 2-3 as part of a broader trip throughout the Indo-Pacific region. The officials’ stop in Taiwan was met with condemnation by Beijing, who considered the move a violation of their national and territorial sovereignty.
The Biden administration defended the trip, arguing that it did not stray from historic norms of the relationship between the US, China and Taiwan. Beijing, however, strongly disagreed with that assessment, stating that Pelosi's trip to the island violated Chinese sovereignty and went against the One-China principle formally adhered to by Washington.
China warned Washington that the House speaker's trip to the island would bring with it serious consequences for US-Chinese relations and would escalate tensions in the region. Beijing started massive military drills around the island following Pelosi's visit. Her plane, however, landed and departed safely from the island a day later without any incidents.