U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan demonstrates that the democratic world “stands by Taiwan’s side,” said Michael Roth, a high-ranking German parliamentarian, on Tuesday.

On his Twitter account, Roth, the chairman of the German Bundestag’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, said Pelosi’s visit “underlines that the democratic world stands by Taiwan and Taiwan is a vibrant democracy that decides its own fate.”

Amid strong opposition from China, Pelosi arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday night in the latest stop on her tour of Asia that began Sunday. She arrived in Taipei at 10:44 p.m. on Tuesday from Malaysia, with no prior public announcement.

Pelosi is the first sitting U.S. House speaker to visit Taiwan since 1997, when Newt Gingrich traveled to Taipei and met with then-President Lee Teng-hui (???).

Echoing Pelosi, who reiterated that her visit did not contradict the U.S.’ one China policy, Roth also saw “no departure” from the policy. In his view, Roth, who called Pelosi a self-confident parliamentarian, said that she was simply visiting a democratic partner but the leadership in China “apparently saw democracy and diplomacy as a threat.”

“The Taiwanese themselves know what is in their best interest and what endangers their security,” Roth said. “Visits are neither aggressive nor provocative. They pose no threat to China’s territorial integrity.”

Beijing announced late Tuesday its plans to hold live-fire military drills in six maritime areas around Taiwan over the next few days, which Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense said could pose a threat to the country’s major ports and metropolitan areas.

“If the conflict were to escalate, almost all of our supply chains would be affected,” Roth said, adding that it was time to reduce Germany’s strategic dependence on China as quickly as possible and diversify the country’s supply chains.

Roth is a member of Germany’s ruling Social Democratic Party and a former minister of state for Europe.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel