WASHINGTON — Some 30 years after the young, little-known lawmaker Nancy Pelosi unfurled a small flag of protest in Tiananmen Square, the now-House speaker waged a much more prominent show of defiance against the Chinese Communist Party by leading a congressional delegation to Taiwan on Tuesday.
The visit marked the first time a U.S. House speaker has visited Taiwan in more than 25 years. Rumors of the scheduled trip had prompted warnings of retaliation by the Chinese government and a public call from President Biden to cancel her plans.
But for Pelosi, D-Calif., there are several reasons the provocative trip should come as little surprise.