Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and 25 of his Republican colleagues issued a statement in support of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) controversial visit to Taiwan on Tuesday. “For decades, members of the United States Congress, including previous Speakers of the House, have travelled to Taiwan. This travel is consistent with the United States’ One China policy to which we are committed. We are also committed now, more than ever, to all elements of the Taiwan Relations Act,” the statement reads. (The One China policy refers to the U.S. position that acknowledges, but does not recognize, China’s claim that it governs Taiwan, and the Taiwan Relations Act maintains relations with Taiwan, and says that America’s diplomatic relationship with China depends on a peaceful relationship between China and Taiwan.) Pelosi’s trip marks the first time a high-ranking U.S. official has set foot on the island in a quarter century, and China is not happy about it. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson threatened “forceful measures” and even President Joe Biden said it was “not a good idea.”
