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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi spoke with Taiwanese Vice President Lai Ching-te this week in a virtual conference. During the meeting, the pair spoke about security and economic issues, including the situation with China.
According to Taiwan’s ambassador to the US, Hsiao Bi-Khim, the virtual conference between Pelosi and Lai Friday last week lasted around 30 minutes. Security, the economy, and shared values were on the agenda during the bilateral discussions between Pelosi and Lai, according to outlet Focus Taiwan. Pelosi appears to be the second US official whom Lai spoke with as of late as previously. He briefly met Vice President Kamala Harris during his visit to Honduras last week to attend Xiomara Castro’s inauguration.
During the conference, according to Hsiao, Pelosi raised concerns about the situation at the Taiwan Strait, including the human rights issue in China.
Pelosi has also voiced her support in allowing Taiwan to become a member of international organizations, especially the World Health Organization. The Democratic House Speaker said she personally stressed to the WHO Secretary-General that Taiwan should be a member of the organization, as Taiwan’s potential membership is important due to its pandemic preparedness efforts.
The conference between Pelosi and Lai comes as Taiwan looks to strengthen its relations with the US. Pelosi assured Lai that Taiwan has bipartisan support in Congress, according to people familiar with the matter. Shortly after the video call, Lai took to social media, describing the House Speaker as a friend to the island nation and a champion of human rights.
“I was pleased to meet with @SpeakerPelosi, a champion of human rights and a true friend to Taiwan. We are committed to working together to strengthen the US-Taiwan partnership,” tweeted Lai.
In other related news, followers of the conspiracy theory movement QAnon are under the belief that Pelosi’s recent video where she announces her re-election bid has secret messages, with some related to the tv series “Full House,” according to SFGate. The video announcement shows Pelosi in front of a green screen background showing San Francisco’s most famous view.
However, QAnon believers claim that Pelosi’s video has hidden messages, such as the inclusion of the famous Painted Ladies view actually references “Full House,” which uses the Alamo Square icons in its title credits. At the same time, the show’s star Bob Saget recently passed away, supposedly adding to the theory that believers have about Pelosi’s video announcement.
