Pelosi Condemns China’s Genocide Of Uyghur Muslims As She Arrives In Taiwan

As House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D) has arrived in Taiwan following weeks of threats of retaliation from China, she released an op-ed in The Washington Post condemning China’s human rights violations, including its genocide of Uyghur Muslims and other groups.

“In the face of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) accelerating aggression, our congressional delegation’s visit should be seen as an unequivocal statement that America stands with Taiwan, our democratic partner, as it defends itself and its freedom,” Pelosi wrote. However, she said that her visit “in no way contradicts the long-standing one-China policy, guided by the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979, the U.S.-China Joint Communiques and the Six Assurances. The United States continues to oppose unilateral efforts to change the status quo.”

“Thirty years ago, I traveled in a bipartisan congressional delegation to China, where, in Tiananmen Square, we unfurled a black-and-white banner that read, ‘To those who died for democracy in China.’ Uniformed police pursued us as we left the square,” Pelosi continued. “Since then, Beijing’s abysmal human rights record and disregard for the rule of law continue, as President Xi Jinping tightens his grip on power.”

“The CCP’s brutal crackdown against Hong Kong’s political freedoms and human rights — even arresting Catholic Cardinal Joseph Zen — cast the promises of ‘one-country, two-systems’ into the dustbin,” Pelosi added. “In Tibet, the CCP has long led a campaign to erase the Tibetan people’s language, culture, religion and identity. In Xinjiang, Beijing is perpetrating genocide against Muslim Uyghurs and other minorities. And throughout the mainland, the CCP continues to target and arrest activists, religious-freedom leaders and others who dare to defy the regime.”

Pelosi said that the United States “cannot stand by as the CCP proceeds to threaten Taiwan — and democracy itself.” She then pointed to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and stated that her trip to Taiwan was taken “at a time when the world faces a choice between autocracy and democracy.”

“When I led a congressional delegation to Kyiv in April — the highest-level U.S. visit to the besieged nation — I conveyed to President Volodymyr Zelensky that we admired his people’s defense of democracy for Ukraine and for democracy worldwide,” Pelosi concluded. “By traveling to Taiwan, we honor our commitment to democracy: reaffirming that the freedoms of Taiwan — and all democracies — must be respected.”