Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi emphasized the cultural and racial diversity of an early August congressional delegation to East Asia during her Wednesday press conference.
Pelosi recently led a six-member congressional delegation to Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea, receiving bipartisan praise for the trip even as the Biden administration expressed concern. The speaker noted during her press conference that the delegation primarily focused on military defense and economics, but placed particular emphasis on cultural exchange between the U.S. and the countries visited. Other attendees of the trip included House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Gregory Meeks of New York, House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Mark Takano of California, New Jersey Rep. Andy Kim, Washington Rep. Suzan DelBene, and Illinois Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi.
“We also paid respect to some of the cultural aspects of their country that they were so proud of, in Singa-, in all of the countries, and perhaps we’ll go into that,” Pelosi said.
WATCH (13:00):
Join @RepGregoryMeeks, @RepMarkTakano, @RepDelBene, @CongressmanRaja and me at the U.S. Capitol for a press conference on the Congressional delegation to the Indo-Pacific region. https://t.co/wOa7QGa5LL
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) August 10, 2022
“It is the beautiful diversity of our trip. Imagine this, the beautiful diversity, which is self-evident. But Mr. Takano, Japanese-American, Mr. Krishnamoorthi, born in India. Andy Kim’s parents, born in Korea. So the respect for culture, country and differing views, so eminent for all of us on the committee, but some of it directly connected in that way,” she continued.
Pelosi has taken an interest in foreign policy, particularly with China, since her earliest days in the House of Representatives. She was one of three members to be detained by Chinese police in Tiananmen Square in 1991 for holding up a banner dedicated “To Those Who Died for Democracy in China.” (RELATED: Military Believes Pelosi’s Reported Trip To Taiwan Is ‘Not A Good Idea,’ Biden Says)
“Important to us, and central to, was our inter-parliamentary meetings to show that we see the role of Congress in strengthening the discussion. We went with humility, we went with respect, to listen, to learn what their views were about what the president was proposing, and sharing with candor and respect how we saw things. It was very constructive in that way,” she added.
China sanctioned Pelosi and her immediate family members in the aftermath of the Taiwan trip. China also flew dozens of planes into Taiwanese airspace, and sailed 13 ships into the island nation’s waters.
