US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is expected to head to Asia for a tour of the region after landing in Hawaii, where she visited the Pearl Harbor Memorial and the USS Arizona.

According to a statement released by her office on Sunday, Pelosi is leading a congressional delegation to the Indo-Pacific and plans to visit countries including Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan.

But the statement did not mention Taiwan, despite speculation in recent days that Pelosi may plan to visit the country of 24 million people, the Telegraph reports.

China's Communist Party, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory — despite never having controlled it — has warned against Pelosi's visit to the island, and US President Joe Biden recently "implied" that the US military thinks that such a trip "would not be a good idea now".

"Today, our congressional delegation travels to the Indo-Pacific to reaffirm America's strong and unwavering commitment to our allies and friends in the region," Pelosi said in a statement released by her office.

She indicated that high-level meetings will be held in each country to "further advance our shared interests and values, including peace and security, economic growth and trade, the Covid-19 pandemic, the climate crisis, human rights and democratic governance".

"Under President (Joe) Biden's strong leadership, America is firmly committed to smart and strategic engagement in the region, understanding that a free and prosperous Indo-Pacific is essential to prosperity in our nation and around the globe." Pelosi said.

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Telegraph

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