Nigel Farage has questioned Nancy Pelosi’s “one woman mission” to Taiwan, saying the visit “looks reckless at best”.
The US House of Representatives Speaker arrived in Taiwan yesterday, despite being urged by China not to make the visit.
Ms Pelosi left Taiwan earlier today after touting its democracy and pledging American solidarity during her brief visit, adding that Chinese anger cannot stop world leaders from travelling to the self-ruled island claimed by Beijing.
And speaking about her visit on GB News’ Farage, Nigel said: “The fact is Pelosi actually on China has been consistent ever since Tiananmen Square.
Nigel Farage
GB News
Nancy Pelosi arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday
Reuters
“You could argue this is one of the very few things that Pelosi has ever got right in her political career, is the threat the worry about China that she saw a long time ago.
“But to go on her own, to go on a one woman mission to stir things up when it might have been better to let sleeping dogs lie, looks reckless at best.”
Speaking earlier in his show, Nigel said: "I think the Western world is waking up very, very late to the threat China poses and it worries me greatly."
After Ms Pelosi arrived, China demonstrated its outrage over the highest-level US visit to the island in 25 years with a burst of military activity in surrounding waters, summoning the US ambassador in Beijing and halting several agricultural imports from Taiwan.
Some of China's planned military exercises were to take place within Taiwan's 12 nautical mile sea and air territory, according to Taiwan's defence ministry, an unprecedented move that a senior defence official described to reporters as "amounting to a sea and air blockade of Taiwan".
Taiwan scrambled jets on Wednesday to warn away 27 Chinese aircraft in its air defence zone, the island's defence ministry said, adding that 22 of them crossed the median line separating the island from China.
In a statement after her departure, Ms Pelosi said: "Sadly, Taiwan has been prevented from participating in global meetings, most recently the World Health Organization, because of objections by the Chinese Communist Party.
"While they may prevent Taiwan from sending its leaders to global forums, they cannot prevent world leaders or anyone from travelling to Taiwan to pay respect to its flourishing democracy, to highlight its many successes and to reaffirm our commitment to continued collaboration.”