Nancy Pelosi

An announcement from the People's Liberation Army Eastern Theater Command said beginning Tuesday night a series of exercises would be held on the sea and in the air surrounding Taiwan, the self-governed island that China says is its sovereign territory, CNN reported. The Eastern Theater is one of the five joint commands of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) with jurisdiction over China's eastern coastal provinces of Fujian and Zhejiang, which sit opposite and above Taiwan.

China accused Pelosi, the most senior US politician in 25 years to visit the island nation, which China claims as its own, of "playing with fire", the BBC reported "Those who play with fire will perish by it," Beijing warned in a statement, the report said. Pelosi said her visit "honours America's unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwan's vibrant democracy" and it did not contradict US policy.

"Our visit is part of our broader trip to the Indo-Pacific � including Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan � focused on mutual security, economic partnership and democratic governance. Our discussions with Taiwan leadership will focus on reaffirming our support for our partner and on promoting our shared interests, including advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific region," the statement said.

Pelosi's US Air Force-operated Boeing C-40C landed at Taipei's Songshan Airport on Tuesday, marking the start of the third -- and the most controversial -- leg of her five-country Asia tour, dpa news agency reported. Pelosi and her delegation of Democratic party lawmakers were met by Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu and Sandra Oudkirk, the director of the American Institute in Taiwan, which serves as Washington's de facto embassy.

The Trump-era spy chief claimed that Chinese President Xi Jinping is capitalising on President Biden's "weakness" as Beijing and its media mouthpieces are threatening of dire consequences if Pelosi visits Taiwan, which China claims as its territory, the Washington Examiner reported. "It's been mismanaged by the Biden administration," Ratcliffe said, responding in the affirmative to a question by Fox News anchor Maria Bartiromo.

China could also respond by flying fighter jets further into Taiwan's self-declared air defence zone, which could trigger a response from Taiwan and the US, the official added. They did not detail what a possible response would entail, CNN reported.

Pelosi postponed a trip to Asia that included Taiwan, which China calls a breakaway province, planned for later this week. The savvy US politician was diagnosed with asymptomatic Covid-19. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian wished her a quick recovery but said that Pelosi should "not postpone a visit, but cancel it immediately".

"While we've made progress, much more needs to be done to improve people's lives. Our democracy is at risk because the assault on the truth, assault on the US Capitol and the state-by-state assault on voting rights. This election is crucial. Nothing less is at stake than our democracy," Pelosi said on Tuesday in an announcement video posted on Twitter.

The House's 220-203 party-line vote to pass the package came on Thursday, one day after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York, announced a new tactic aimed at passing sweeping voting rights legislation in the Senate, where 50 Republicans are uniform in their opposition to legislation proposed by the Democrats.

"Indeed, this past year has been historic: with the life-saving American Rescue Plan, once-in-a-century Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and, soon, the truly transformational Build Back Better Act," Pelosi wrote in a letter to Biden. "In that spirit, I am writing to invite you to address a Joint Session of Congress on Tuesday, March 1, to share your vision of the State of the Union," Pelosi wrote.