The United States does not want to see House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan spiral into a crisis with China, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Tuesday, asserting there is no reason for Beijing to make it a source of conflict.

While China has reacted angrily to the first visit by a sitting U.S. House speaker to the island in 25 years, including with increased military activity, Kirby emphasized that U.S. policy on Taiwan has not changed and that the trip was not unprecedented and should not be seen by Beijing as a violation of its sovereignty.

U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby. (Getty/Kyodo)

"No reason for China to take what is a perfectly legitimate and consistent travel by the speaker of the House and turn it into some pretext for amping up the tensions or creating some sort of crisis or conflict," Kirby said. "There's just simply no reason for that."

The United States, for its part, has no intention to engage in saber-rattling and would like to see tensions "come down," he said.

But he also said the United States is "prepared to manage what Beijing chooses to do" and that the administration of President Joe Biden will continue to support Taiwan and defend "a free and open Indo-Pacific" while seeking to maintain communication with Beijing.

Tensions ratcheted up as Pelosi, leading a congressional delegation on a trip to Asia, arrived on the island late Tuesday despite repeated warnings from Beijing. She is second in the line of succession to the U.S. presidency after Vice President Kamala Harris.

Pelosi said in a statement that the visit is "one of several congressional delegations to Taiwan" and was meant to honor "America's unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwan's vibrant democracy."

U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi. (UPI/Kyodo)

In an opinion piece for The Washington Post, she said the visit should be seen as "an unequivocal statement that America stands with Taiwan, our democratic partner, as it defends itself and its freedom" in the face of China's "accelerating aggression."

China, which views Taiwan as a renegade province awaiting reunification with the mainland, by force if necessary, has been stepping up military and other pressure on the island.

Pelosi's trip has ignited controversy ever since the plan was reported in the media in mid-July, with fears that it could risk provoking Beijing and even put Taipei in a more difficult position.

Shortly after the reports emerged, Biden had told reporters that the U.S. military believes that a visit by Pelosi was "not a good idea."

Chinese President Xi Jinping is seen as facing a sensitive time with a twice-a-decade Communist Party congress expected in the fall.

The United States changed its diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979, but has kept up unofficial relations with the island and supplies it with arms and spare military parts to help it maintain sufficient self-defense capabilities.

Kirby reiterated during the press conference the U.S. position that it opposes any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side, and that it does not support Taiwan independence.

Meanwhile, at the White House on Tuesday, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan met with his Japanese counterpart Takeo Akiba and reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, among other issues.

They agreed that a unilateral change in the status quo by force would be a serious challenge to the international order and that actions similar to Russia's invasion of Ukraine should not be allowed to happen in other regions, according to a Japanese government official.


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