Bipartisan group of senators back Pelosi's Taiwan trip, despite China's response
WASHINGTON - A bipartisan group of senators expressed their approval Sunday for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's controversial trip to Taiwan last week, despite warnings from China.
China announced Friday that it would suspend talks with the United States on various issues and place sanctions on Pelosi and her family, in response to her trip to the island.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., cautioned on NBC News' "Meet the Press" that China's follow-up to its retaliatory actions could be sign of where the U.S.-China relationship goes.
"I don't think we're in a cold war with China yet. A lot of that depends on what China does next," Van Hollen said on NBC's "Meet the Press."
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Van Hollen noted it's necessary to have military dialogue with China, but it is also "important that we also confront and check China, where it's trying to export his model of authoritarianism around the world."
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said in an interview on CNN's "State of the Union," that the House speaker "should have gone. I'm glad she went," he said.
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Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., echoed Graham and Van Hollen's approval of the trip.
"The Chinese can't tell our legislators or any American citizens where to travel. And it's bullying and blustering," Blumenthal said on CNN's "State of the Union."
"It's firing these missiles, it's sending its planes in sensitive areas is simply a provocative response," he said.
China argued that the House speaker's visit to Taiwan amounts to an attack by the Biden administration on China's reign.
China considers Taiwan as part of its territory, although Taiwan views itself as an independent country.
The White House has emphasized that Pelosi is a leader of the legislative branch of government and it could not stop her from going.
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Contributing: Michael Collins
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Graham backs Pelosi's Taiwan trip; Van Hollen cautions on 'cold war'
