Biden administration working behind the scenes to convince Pelosi of the risks of traveling to Taiwan

CNN/Stylemagazine.com Newswire | 7/26/2022, 1:59 p.m.
National security officials are quietly working to convince House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of the risks her potential trip to Taiwan …
National security officials are quietly working to convince House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of the risks her potential trip to Taiwan could pose during a highly sensitive moment between the self-governing island and China. Mandatory Credit: AFP & Getty Images

Originally Published: 26 JUL 22 14:12 ET

By Kevin Liptak and Kaitlan Collins, CNN

(CNN) -- National security officials are quietly working to convince House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of the risks her potential trip to Taiwan could pose during a highly sensitive moment between the self-governing island and China.

Sources familiar with the speaker's plans say she is planning to visit in the coming weeks as part of a broader trip to Asia and has invited both Democrats and Republicans to accompany her. If she goes, she would be the first House speaker to visit in a quarter century.

The possible trip is highlighting the concerns within President Joe Biden's administration over China's designs on Taiwan as Beijing has stepped up its rhetoric and aggressive actions toward the island in recent months, including sending warplanes into Taiwan's self-declared air defense zone identification zone several times. US officials have expressed concern that those moves could be precursors to even more aggressive steps by China in the coming months meant to assert its authority over the island.

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