Why Pelosi’s Taiwan Visit is So Provocative and Dangerous

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s warning to his American counterpart Joe Biden that “if you play with fire, you will be burned” is the most belligerent rhetoric China has directed towards the United States in decades, perhaps since the United States and the People’s Republic of China established diplomatic relations in 1972. Why is China so incensed about the visit of Nancy Pelosi, an American Congresswoman visiting Taiwan without the open endorsement of the Biden administration? The answer lies in the details of diplomatic redlines. U.S. diplomatic relations with China began with the Shanghai Communique of 1972, which states: The U.S….