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Nancy Pelosi's Taiwan visit

US not to allow China to isolate Taiwan — Pelosi

"Our purpose in going to Taiwan was to say that we have a strong relationship built on the status quo which we support," she said

WASHINGTON, August 10. /TASS/. The US will not let China "isolate Taiwan," Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi said at a press conference in Washington on Wednesday.

"We will not allow China to isolate Taiwan. They had kept Taiwan from participating in the World Health Organization, and other things where Taiwan can make a very valued contribution. And they may keep them (Taiwanese officials - TASS) from going there but they are not keeping us from going to Taiwan," she stated.

Earlier in August, a delegation of members of the US Congress led by Pelosi visited Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan. "Our purpose in going to Taiwan was to say that we have a strong relationship built on the status quo which we support," she noted, pointing out that the US policy with regards to Taiwan has not changed.

Additionally, Pelosi reported that she and the members of her delegation thanked those countries and territories they visited within the framework of the tour for their stance with regards to Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine and "their immediate and strong response."

Commenting on Pelosi’s remarks, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the US has neither legal, nor moral grounds to decide on the fate of countries and peoples.

"Pelosi, apparently, has not heard how the US Secretary of State recently urged countries to respect the sovereignty and independence of all states. Or she thinks that this logic does not apply to America? The US has neither legal nor moral grounds to manage the fate of countries and peoples," she wrote on her Telegram channel on Wednesday.

Over the past week, China held a series of military exercises in various areas along its coast amid the growing tension in the Taiwan Strait following the August 2-3 visit by Pelosi to Taiwan which was sharply criticized by mainland China. Beijing has repeatedly cautioned Washington that it would take retaliatory measures if Pelosi visited Taipei. On August 4, China’s armed forces began large-scale military drills with live firing exercises in six areas in the waters around Taiwan. It was planned to complete these exercises by noon on Sunday (07:00 Moscow time) but then they were extended indefinitely.

Taiwan has been governed by its local administration since 1949 when the remaining Kuomintang forces led by Chiang Kai-shek (1887-1975) fled to the island after suffering a defeat in China’s civil war. Since then, Taiwan has preserved the flag and some other symbols of the Republic of China that had existed in mainland China before the Communists came to power. Beijing regards the island as one of its provinces and this position is supported by most countries, including Russia.

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