Without any mention of Taiwan, the office of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a statement on Sunday highlighting countries and places that would be visited during a congressional delegation’s trip to the Indo-Pacific region.

“Speaker Nancy Pelosi is leading a Congressional delegation to the Indo-Pacific region, including visits to Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan,” her office said in a press release.

The statement went on to say: “The trip will focus on mutual security, economic partnership and democratic governance in the Indo-Pacific region.”

The all-Democrat delegation includes Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Gregory Meeks and members of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Armed Services Committee.

China’s air force vows to ‘safeguard’ territory
On Sunday, spokesman for China’s air force, Shen Jinke, was quoted by state media as saying that Beijing “will resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

Jinke also said the air force had a a number of fighter aircraft capable of circling “the precious island of our motherland,” a reference to Taiwan.

There has been intense speculation in the build-up to the delegation’s visit to the region, with China’s President Xi Jinping warning US President Joe Biden this week that “those who play with fire will only get burnt.”