US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrives in Taiwan

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday (Aug 2) as part of an ongoing Asia tour. It is the highest-profile visit by a US official to the island in 25 years, reports CNA.

Live television images showed the 82-year-old lawmaker, who flew in on a US military aircraft into Taipei's Songshan Airport, being greeted on arrival by Taiwan's foreign minister Joseph Wu.

Pelosi said in a tweet at 11pm local time that her delegation's visit to Taiwan "honours America's unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwan’s vibrant democracy".

"Our discussions with Taiwan leadership reaffirm our support for our partner & promote our shared interests, including advancing a free & open Indo-Pacific region."

She added that the US continues to oppose "unilateral efforts to change the status quo".

The prospect of a stop in Taipei had triggered warnings from Beijing that have set the region on edge, with China warning earlier on Tuesday that the US will "pay the price" if Pelosi visits Taiwan.

"The US side will bear the responsibility and pay the price for undermining China's sovereign security interests," foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a regular press briefing in Beijing.

China considers self-ruled Taiwan as its territory and has vowed to one day seize the island, by force if necessary.

Pelosi is second in the line of succession to the US presidency and a long-time critic of China.

One person familiar with her itinerary said that most of her planned meetings, including with President Tsai Ing-wen, were scheduled for Wednesday.

According to a Reuters report, four sources said Pelosi was scheduled to meet a small group of activists who are outspoken about China's human rights record on Wednesday afternoon.

China views visits by US officials to Taiwan as sending an encouraging signal to the pro-independence camp on the island. Washington does not have official diplomatic ties with Taiwan but is bound by US law to provide the island with the means to defend itself.

Before Pelosi's visit, Chinese planes have reportedly been flying close to the median line dividing the Taiwan Strait.

A source told Reuters that Chinese aircraft repeatedly conducted tactical moves of briefly "touching" the median line and circling back to the other side of the strait on Tuesday morning, while Taiwanese aircraft were on standby nearby.